Rocky Mountain juniper, Rocky Mountain Red cedar, Western Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum

Family: Cupressaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 9-15 m tall and spreads 3.7-4.5 m wide. It is a cypress like conical tree. It can have several main stems. The trunk can be 30 cm wide. It can be a shrub on poor sites. The bark is red-brown and peels in shreds. The leaves are often blue-green. They are like scales with a gland on the outer surface. The needles are about 12 mm long. The seed cones are berry like and 8 mm across. They are fleshy and have a powdery white coating.

There are 50 to 60 Juniperus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It usually grows in the mountains. It occurs on dry rocky ridges. It grows naturally in Western North America. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also boiled or roasted. They can be used to flavour meat. The fruit and young shoots have been used for tea. The dried fruit are ground into meal for cakes. The fruit can be roasted as a coffee substitute. Caution: They should not be eaten in large amounts and should not be eaten by pregnant women.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings.

The berries ripen in the second autumn and may stay on the tree for another year or 2.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Several