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Juniperus monosperma

Common name:	One-Seed Juniper	Family:	Cupressaceae
Author:	(Engelm)Sarg.	Botanical references:	11, 82, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - along the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming to Mexico.
Habitat:	Dry rocky or sandy soils, 1000 - 2300 metres[229].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	J. occidentalis var. gymnocarpa[B,P] J. occidentalis var. monosperma[G] Sabina monosperma[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	One-seed Juniper [B], One-seeded Juniper [S], Oneseed Juniper [FEIS,P,DEN2],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Cypress family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Mexico(Kickapoo)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 18m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf all year, in flower in 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 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 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, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Gum.

Fruit - raw or cooked. Soft, juicy and pulpy[81, 85, 105], but with a thin flesh[82]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then be baked[82, 227], or can be used as a seasoning in stews etc[161, 257]. The fruits were only used when other foods were in short supply[257]. The cones are about 5 - 8mm in diameter and ripen in their first year[200].
Inner bark - raw or cooked[257]. It was chewed in times of food shortage for the little nourishment it supplied[257].
The gum is chewed as a delicacy[161, 257]. No further details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiphlogistic; Birthing aid; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Laxative; Odontalgic; Pectoral; Poultice; Stomachic.

One-seed juniper was commonly employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes, who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
The leaves are febrifuge, laxative and pectoral[216]. An infusion is used in the treatment of stomach complaints, constipation, coughs and colds[216]. An infusion was also used by pregnant women prior to childbirth in order to relax the muscles[257].
A poultice of the heated twigs can be bound over a bruise or sprain in order to reduce the swelling[257].
An infusion of the staminate cones has been used as a stomach tonic and in the treatment of dysentery[257].
The chewed bark has been applied externally to help heal spider bites[257]. It is also highly prized as a dressing on burns[257].
The fruits are strongly diuretic[257].
A gum from the plant has been used as a temporary filling in a decayed tooth[257].

Other Uses

Beads; Dye; Fibre; Fuel; Lighting; Mordant; Tinder; Wood.

Thin strips of the fibrous bark are used for making sleeping mats etc[82, 227]. It has also been used as a lining in shoes to absorb moisture and to keep the feet warmer[257]. When rubbed fine, the bark can be used to make children's clothing[257].
The bark is employed as a tinder and is also made into a slow match or can be shredded, bound into bundles and used as a torch to give light in the house[216, 257]. The crushed bark was twisted into a rope, tied at intervals with yucca (Yucca species), and wrapped into a coil. The free end was set on fire and kept smouldering by blowing on it at intervals. Fire could be carried in this fashion for several hours[257].
The dried seeds have been used as beads or as the 'rattle' in rattles[216, 257].
A green dye is obtained from the bark and berries[229, 257].
A yellow dye is obtained from the whole plant[257].
Ashes from the whole plant have been used as a mordant to fix the colour of dyes[257].
Wood - moderately hard, somewhat heavy, slightly fragrant. When seasoned properly it is very durable and is used mainly for fencing and fuel[82, 227, 229]. As a fuel it burns steadily and evenly[257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in dry soils. Succeeds in most soils, including chalk, if they are well drained[1, 11, 200], preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[11].
Trees are fairly fast growing for a Juniper, and are also long-lived in their native habitats[227]. They grow better in dry areas with hot summers, western Britain is generally to cool and wet for this species to thrive[200].
Plants are resistant to honey fungus[88].
This species is closely related to J. occidentalis[11].
The seed matures in 1 year[200]. Some fruit is produced most years, but heavy crops only occur every 2 - 3 years[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

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[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.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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.

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

[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.

[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.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[88] RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.

[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.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. 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.

[216] Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939
A very good guide the the plant uses of the N. American Hopi Indians.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[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.
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