Virginia Tech Dendrology

creeping juniper Cupressaceae Juniperus horizontalis Moench symbol: JUHO2
Leaf: Evergreen, mostly scale-like foliage but some awl-like foliage, soft, blue-green almost silvery, obviously glaucous.
Flower: Species is dioecious; male cones yellow-brown, round, 1/5 inch across, females small and round.
Fruit: Small, round, cones, about 1/3 inch across, silvery blue.
Twig: Slender, soft, horizontal stems that stay very close to the ground.
Bark: Reddish brown and finely scaly.
Form: Very low growing plant, rarely greater than 6 inhces in height, spreading to over 6 feet across, flat growing groundcover.
Looks like: shore juniper - Ibuki juniper - common juniper

Additional Range Information: Juniperus horizontalis is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - 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