Common Names
Pinchot juniper, redberry juniper (2).
Taxonomic notes
Syn: Juniperus erythrocarpa Cory (2). Adams (2) observes that the "type specimen of J. erythrocarpa is merely an individual with brighter red seed cones." Silba (1) finds that J. erythrocarpa var. coahuilensis is a synonym for J. pinchotii var. erythrocarpa , whereas Adams deems it a synonym for J. coahuilensis , a taxon recognized here. This disagreement would suggest a close relationship between J. pinchotii and J. coahuilensis , and in fact the two species hybridize (Adams and Kistler 1991). Incidentally, Pinchot juniper does not hybridize with J. ashei (Adams 1977) or J. monosperma (Adams 1975) (2).Description
"Shrubs or shrubby trees dioecious, to 6 m, usually multistemmed; crown flattened-globose to irregular. Bark ashy gray to brown, exfoliating in long strips, that of small branchlets (5-10 mm diam.) smooth, that of larger branchlets exfoliating in strips or sometimes in flakes. Branches spreading to ascending; branchlets erect, 3-4-sided in cross section, ca. 2/3 as wide as length of scalelike leaves. Leaves yellow-green, abaxial glands elliptic to elongate, many with an evident white crystalline exudate, margins denticulate (at 20×); whip leaves 4-6 mm, not glaucous adaxially; scalelike leaves 1-2 mm, not overlapping or overlapping by not more than 1/5 their length, keeled, apex acute, spreading. Seed cones maturing in 1 year, of 1 size, with straight peduncles, globose to ovoid, 6-8(-10) mm, copper to copper-red, not glaucous, fleshy and sweet, not resinous, with 1(-2) seeds. Seeds 4-5 mm" (2).Range
US: New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas; adjacent Mexico; at 300-1000(-1700) m elevation; on gravelly limestone and gypsum soils; on rolling hills and in ravines (2). See also (4).Big Tree
Diameter 115 cm, height 7 m, crown spread 8 m, located in Alpine, TX (3).Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
Observations
Remarks
Citations
(1)Silba 1986.(2) Adams, Robert P. in Flora of North America online.
(4) Robert S. Thompson, Katherine H. Anderson and Patrick J. Bartlein. 1999. Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1650 A&B. URL= http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/ppapers/p1650-a/pages/conifers.html, accessed 22-Jan-2000.
See also Elias 1987, Little 1980, and the Vascular Plant Image Gallery.
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This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/cu/ju/pinchotii.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:
earlecj@earthlink.net
Last modified on 22-Jan-2000