- Juniperus phoenicea
Taxobox
name = "Juniperus phoenicea"
image_width = 240px
image_caption =
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3
regnum =Plant ae
divisio =Pinophyta
classis = Pinopsida
ordo =Pinales
familia =Cupressaceae
genus = "Juniperus "
species = "J. phoenicea"
binomial = "Juniperus phoenicea"
binomial_authority = L."Juniperus phoenicea" (Phoenicean Juniper or Arâr) is a
juniper found throughout theMediterranean region , fromMorocco andPortugal east toTurkey andEgypt , and also onMadeira and theCanary Islands , and on the mountains of westernSaudi Arabia near theRed Sea . It mostly grows at low altitudes close to the coast, but reaches 2,400 m altitude in the south of its range in theAtlas Mountains .It is a large
shrub or smalltree reaching 2-12 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and a rounded or irregular crown. The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 8-10 mm long on seedlings, and adult scale-leaves 0.5-2 mm long on older plants; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three. It is largely monoecious, but some individual plants are dioecious. The cones are berry-like, 6-14 mm in diameter, orange-brown, occasionally with a pinkish waxy bloom, and contain 3-8seed s; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring.There are two varieties, treated as
subspecies by some authors:
*"Juniperus phoenicea" var. "phoenicea". Throughout the range of the species. Cones globose, about as wide as long.
*"Juniperus phoenicea" var. "turbinata" (syn. "J. turbinata"). Confined to coastal sand dune habitats. Cones oval, narrower than long.References
*
*Adams, R. P. "Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus". Victoria: Trafford, 2004. ISBN 1-4120-4250-X
* [http://www.conifers.org/cu/ju/phoenicea.htm Gymnosperm Database: "Juniperus phoenicea"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.