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Juniperus californica

Common name:	Californian Juniper	Family:	Cupressaceae
Author:	Carrière.	Botanical references:	82, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat:	Dry rocky, gravelly or sandy soils on dry mountain slopes and hills, 120 - 1200 metres[82, 229].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	J. cedrosiana[B,P] J. cerrosianus[B,P] J. pyriformis[B,P] Sabina californica[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	California Juniper [P,B,FEIS,DEN2],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Cypress family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 12m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from February to April, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Wind. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked. A thick, sweet, dry, fibrous and non-resinous flesh[82, 229]. It can also be dried and ground into a powder then used as a flavouring in various dishes or eaten as a mush[36, 61, 82, 105, 257]. The fruit is produced abundantly in the wild, though it is unlikely to be freely produced in Britain[K]. The cones are about 10 - 20mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Antispasmodic; Birthing aid; Diaphoretic; Hypotensive.

The scorched twigs have been rubbed on the body in the treatment of fits[257].
The leaves are analgesic, diaphoretic and hypotensive[257]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of high blood pressure, coughs and colds and to bring relief from a hangover (the bark was also used in this case)[257]. It has also been taken by pregnant women just prior to childbirth in order to relax the muscles[257].

Other Uses

Fuel; Wood.

Wood - soft, close grained, durable in contact with the soil. It is used for fencing and fuel[82].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[1, 11, 200]. Established plants are drought tolerant, succeeding in hot dry positions[200].
A slow-growing and generally long-lived tree[229], all introductions to Britain up to now (1990) have proved tender, this plant is only really suitable for hot dry climates[81]. Grows better in dry areas with hot summers, W. Britain is generally to cool and wet for this species to thrive[200].
The seed takes two summers to ripen[229].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[78, 81]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[11]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[1].
Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[1, 78].
Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for the family Cupressaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[36] The Herb Society Herbal Review. Vol.11. 3. The Herb Society 1986 ISBN 0264-9853
A very interesting article on the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, giving a lot of information on its uses. Also details on Tanacetum parthenifolium and Melaleuca alternifolium.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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