Virginia Tech Dendrology

shore juniper Cupressaceae Juniperus conferta Parl. symbol: JUCO12
Leaf: Evergreen, all leaves awl-shaped, sharp pointed, about 1/2 inch long, tips are well away from the stem, upper surface grooved with a bluish stomatal band, darker green below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; male cones yellow-brown, round, 1/5 inch across, females small and round.
Fruit: Cones, 1/3 to 1/2 inch across, dark blue to green, turning bluish-black.
Twig: Slender, initial green but turning reddish brown.
Bark: Stems never get very large, but eventually they become reddish brown and finely scaly.
Form: Typically very low to the ground and spreading, rarely over 1 foot in height.
Looks like: creeping juniper - Ibuki juniper - Chinese juniper - common juniper

Additional Range Information: Juniperus conferta is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information