Sierra Juniper, Western Juniper, California juniper
Juniperus occidentalis

Family: Cupressaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 20 m tall and is a broad cone shape. The bark is brown with furrows and flakes off. The leaves are small and scale like. They occur in threes. They have very small teeth along the edge. They are grey-green and have a small gland underneath. The male and female flowers are usually on separate plants. Males are yellow and female flowers are green. The fruit is berry like and round or oval. It is blue black with a bloom over it. It is 1 cm long and ripens over 2 years.

There are 50 to 60 Juniperus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally on rocky slopes and dry soil in mountain regions in the United States. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit are boiled and eaten. They are also dried and pounded into flour. The ripe nuts are used as food.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Tuupi

Synonyms

Chamaecyparis boursieri Decne; Cuppressus bacciformis Knight ex Gordon; Juniperus andina Nutt.; and others