Ashe Juniper, Mountain Cedar
Juniperus ashei
Family: Cupressaceae
What it is like
Form: Columnar, Pyramidal.
Juniperus ashei is an evergreen Tree growing to 6 m (19ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is 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 is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 6
Where it is found
Found at lower elevations, growing mainly on limestone hills or in soils underladen with limestone.
Southern N. America - Missouri to Texas, south to Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Fruit - raw or cooked. The cones are about 6 - 8mm in diameter, they are thin-skinned sweet, juicy and resinous.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Wood - close-grained, hard, durable, slightly fragrant, light and easily worked. The wood is not large enough nor common enough for commercial production, though it is used locally for fencing posts, telegraph poles railroad ties and fuel.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Screen, Specimen, Street tree. Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Established plants are drought tolerant, succeeding in hot dry positions. They require a sheltered position in full sun. This species is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain. A slow-growing plant, though it may live for 200 - 350 years in good conditions. Fruit production is cyclic, a year of heavy crops being followed by 1 - 2 years of light crops. The seed ripens in its first year. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Fragrant foliage, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: 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. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process. 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. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 7-9
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist