What is the fruit of the juniper?

Once pollinated, the female juniper forms a dark blue or red berry that ripens in 1 or 2 years, also called juniper berry or juniper.

What color is juniper wood?

Juniper wood ranges in color from yellow to reddish-brown. As it ages, the wood will darken.

What does the trunk of the juniper look like?

The trunk of the juniper has rough bark and is light gray in color. It can be twisted, bent, or full of knots. It depends on where it grows and the surrounding environment.

Is the juniper slow-growing or fast-growing?

Slow. About 30 to 60 centimeters per year.

What disease affects juniper?

Juniper is susceptible to one disease in particular: pear rust, which causes considerable damage to the leaves and fruit.

What do the leaves of Juniperus communis look like?

Juniperus communis (photo 3) has very prickly green needles with a white band in the center.

What do the leaves of the cade juniper look like?

The cade juniper (photo 1) has fine, sharp needles with two white bands in the center.

What do the leaves of the Phoenician juniper look like?

The Phoenician juniper (photo 2) has small, blunt needles.

What can you do with juniper wood?

In crafts, juniper wood is used by woodturners to make tableware, vases, and decorative objects.

You must be extremely careful when consuming juniper; some are toxic. Only common juniper and cade are edible.

Can juniper be eaten?

Juniper can be consumed in several forms: to flavor dishes, in jam, or to make alcohol such as gin.

What are the benefits of juniper berries?

Juniper berries are a natural diuretic and will therefore help treat water retention, for example.

Can you make infusions with juniper berries?

As an infusion, juniper berries help relieve joint pain and urinary tract infections.

How to use juniper essential oil?

This essential oil can be used by inhalation to relieve coughing. It can also be used in massages to treat inflammatory pain. Finally, juniper essential oil can be mixed with a cream to treat skin problems and promote healing.

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WOOD SPECIES JUNIPER

The juniper, an emblematic tree of arid zones

Q: Where does Juniperus communis grow?

Juniperus communis is the most widespread variety in the Northern Hemisphere. It is found abundantly in France in mountainous and rocky areas.

The juniper is a small tree or shrub that grows in the Northern Hemisphere in dry or arid areas. It is a plant that requires no special care and is very hardy. The juniper comprises many varieties and each of them has beneficial properties for human health or for nature.

Be careful though, only the common juniper and the cade juniper are edible; the other varieties are toxic.

Technical data sheet

Description

Juniper wood technical datasheet

You will find all the information you need to help you understand and use juniper wood. We have gathered the characteristics, specifications and information of this exceptional wood.

	Characteristic	Description
	Common name	Juniperus communis
	Scientific name	Juniperus communis
	Type	Shrub of the Cupressaceae family.
	Color of the leaves	Very prickly dark green needles that grow in pairs.
	Fruit color	Once pollinated, the female juniper forms a dark blue or red berry that ripens in 1 or 2 years, also called juniper berry. More info on the use of the berries.
	Wood color	Juniper wood varies in color from yellow to reddish brown. With age, the wood will darken in color.
	Height	Between 4 and 10 meters high for the Juniperus communis. Some varieties of juniper can grow up to 40 meters high.
	Trunk	The trunk of the juniper has a rough bark and is light gray in color. It can be twisted, bent or filled with knots. It depends on the place where it grows and the environment outside.
	Growth	Slow. About 30 to 60 centimeters per year.
	Lifetime	Between 50 and 500 years depending on the variety of juniper.
	Hardness	Very hard and rot-proof wood, which means that it is a wood that does not rot.
	Fruit	The female juniper will produce berries. The color of the berries varies according to the variety of juniper. Some are edible while others are poisonous. Learn more about the berries.
	Leaf	The shape of the leaf varies depending on the variety of juniper. They can be in the form of pointed or soft needles or in the form of scales.
	Flowering period	In spring, between March and May.
	Juniper wood availability	★★★★☆
	Price of juniper wood	★★☆☆☆
	Disease and pests	Juniper is subject to one disease in particular: pear rust, which causes a lot of damage to leaves and fruit. Red spiders, beetles and scale insects are the main pests of juniper.

Description of juniper wood

Take a closer look at the characteristics and uses of juniper wood, as well as its health benefits and its advantages as a craft and decorative material.

The regions of the world where to find the common juniper

The common juniper is the most widespread variety in the Northern Hemisphere. It is found abundantly in France in mountainous and rocky areas. The common juniper prefers rocky, sandy and calcareous soils.

It can be found in:

North America
Canada
Northern Europe
Russia

What does a juniper look like and how do you recognize it?

Here, I will show you how to differentiate the Juniperus communis from other varieties. Photos 5 and 6 show Juniperus communis and Juniperus sabina respectively in their environment.

Juniper leaf: The common juniper (photo 3) has very prickly green needles with a white band in the center. The cade juniper (photo 1) has fine, prickly needles with 2 white bands in the center. The Phoenician juniper (photo 2) has small, blunt needles.
Juniper flower: Junipers are dioecious trees, the males and females are different in appearance and do not produce the same thing. Indeed, the female juniper will produce fruits containing seeds (photo 2) whereas the male juniper will produce pollen which, with the wind, will arrive on the female plants.
Juniper fruit: Juniper produces small, round berries called juniper berries (photo 3). These berries are green and change color when ripe. However, you should be careful because some junipers produce toxic berries. Each variety of juniper produces a berry of a different color, shape and size.
Trunk and bark of the juniper: The trunk of the juniper has rough bark and is mostly light gray in color, except for the Virginia juniper which has a reddish bark. Because of the location where it grows (rocky and mountainous area), the trunk can be twisted and even bent as it follows the shape of the rock on which it grows (photo 4).

The Different Varieties of Juniper

Discover the most common juniper varieties in the world and information such as leaves, fruits, growth, etc.

Common juniper

Juniperus communis

Juniperus communis is the most common variety in the Northern Hemisphere.

Grows abundantly in France and in sandy, arid soils.

Grows to a height of 4 to 10 meters.

Very sharp green needles with a white stripe

Dark blue berries that ripen in 2 years

Discover the benefits of common juniper

Cade Juniper

Juniperus oxycedrus

Small shrub 1 to 2 meters tall, very common on the Mediterranean coasts and in southern France

The best-known plant of the garrigues and the maquis, it prefers rocky, calcareous and mountainous areas.

Fine, sharp green needles with 2 narrow white stripes

Red berries that ripen in 2 years and are used in maceration to make spirits like gin.

Cade oil and cade essential oil are extracted from this shrub.

Discover the berries of the Cade Juniper

Savin juniper

Juniperus sabina

Creeping shrub reaching a maximum height of 4 meters, commonly found in the mountains of Asia, North Africa and Europe.

Shrub that lives at altitude (between 1400 and 2700 meters) in rocky, dry, and sunny areas

Needles that do not prick, with a strong and unpleasant smell when touched.

The berries ranging from purple to blue are covered with a fine powdery layer

Shrub highly toxic to humans and animals

Phoenician juniper

Juniperus phoenicea

Shrub 1 to 8 meters tall that grows only in rocky, calcareous areas, particularly in the Mediterranean.

The Phoenician juniper is also called red juniper

Its leaves are not prickly but scaly and rounded.

Plant with medicinal virtues and diuretic, antioxidant and antiseptic properties

The Phoenician juniper has an extremely long lifespan, more than 500 years.

Chinese juniper

Juniperus chinensis

Tree that grows in a cone shape and can reach a height of 25 to 40 meters.

Shrub native to China, Japan, Korea and Russia

Leaves in sharp needles and small scales, less than one centimeter.

The Chinese juniper is commonly used to make bonsai.

Shrub susceptible to European pear rust and to insect attacks such as beetles, red spider mites and aphids.

Discover the diseases and pests of juniper

Virginia juniper

Juniperus virginiana

Slow-growing tree that takes 20 years to reach a height of 4 meters. Its mature size is 15 to 20 meters.

Juniper native from Florida to Ontario. Its bark is reddish-brown.

Leaves in non-prickly needles a few millimeters long.

The berries ripen every year and are blue in color. They are very popular with birds.

The lifespan of eastern red cedar is 200 to 300 years.

Its essential oil has anti-inflammatory and circulation-stimulating properties.

Discover juniper essential oil

Juniper wood, a durable wood with multiple uses

Juniper wood is the worst enemy of axes or chainsaws because it is very hard with a very tough heartwood. It is also a rot-resistant wood, which means that it does not rot.

In craftsmanship, juniper wood is used by woodturners to make tableware, vases or decorative objects. It is a very beautiful wood that gives off a pleasant scent.

In everyday life, juniper wood is used as firewood because it burns slowly and gives the room a pleasant scent.

In gardens, juniper is much appreciated and often used for hedges because it is very robust. Juniper can also be used with greater delicacy and care as a bonsai.

Let's eat! Juniper is on the menu

Juniper can be consumed in several forms, as I explain just below.

Flavouring dishes

Juniper berries are excellent for flavouring fatty dishes such as meat, game or sauerkraut. The berries will add good flavour to the dish and also aid digestion.

Use as a paste or jam

In the French mountains, the berries are cooked and then pressed to make a honey-like paste. This paste is eaten with bread.

Creating alcoholic drinks

Juniper berries are used to create multiple alcoholic drinks.

Genever, a spirit flavoured with juniper berries. It is a speciality of Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France and Germany.
Sahti, a beer from Finland flavoured with juniper berries and filtered with juniper branches.
Gin, known to all, is an alcohol flavoured with juniper berries.

☠️ One must be extremely careful when consuming juniper; some are poisonous. Only the common juniper and cade are edible. ☠️

The benefits of common juniper, a medicinal plant with multiple virtues

Some indigenous peoples of North America burn the branches and needles of common juniper. Then they eat the ash which is very rich in calcium.
Incense is made from juniper wood powder. Some people use it to sanitize and purify rooms.

Juniper berry, various and healthy uses

First of all, you should know that only Juniperus communis and Juniperus oxycedrus are edible.

As mentioned above, the berries are used to flavour dishes and to make alcohol. But they are not only used for that:

Juniper berries are a natural diuretic and will therefore help treat water retention for example.
Juniper berries help digestion by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes and therefore relieve abdominal pain and improve digestion.
In infusion, juniper berries help to relieve joint pain and urinary tract infections.
Juniper berries are rich in antioxidants. They can be crushed and used as a marinade for fish or eaten in smoothies. They will bring flavor and benefits.
The essential oils created with juniper berries have many virtues.

Benefits of juniper essential oils

Juniper essential oil: characteristics and uses

Juniper essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of juniper berries and branches.

This pale yellow essential oil has a woody, spicy aroma. It can be used by inhalation to relieve coughs. It can also be used in massage to relieve inflammatory pain. Finally, juniper essential oil can be mixed with a cream to treat skin problems and aid healing.

Juniper in bonsai, the natural art

Some wood species used to make bonsai are pine, Chinese elm, maple, Chinese juniper and Juniperus sabina.

Juniper is a good choice for making bonsai for several reasons:

The leaves of the juniper: they are small, which gives the bonsai a more realistic appearance
The trunk of the juniper: it naturally has an atypical shape, a worked, gnarled trunk with multiple small branches, allowing it to be shaped in many ways.
The robustness of juniper: juniper is a hardy tree that tolerates difficult growing conditions and frequent pruning very well. Poor soil in a pot and warm temperatures like those inside a house do not bother it.
The bark of the juniper: with age, it cracks and changes in texture and color. This adds life and relief to the bonsai and gives it a more attractive appearance.

To make a bonsai with juniper, here are some tips:

Choose a young juniper with a straight trunk
Prune the branches to create compact and atypical shapes
Prune the roots of the juniper to limit its growth and prevent the bonsai from becoming several meters tall.
Keep the bonsai's soil moist and let it enjoy a few hours of sunlight every day to support its growth.

The worst disease for juniper

Juniper is very susceptible to fungal diseases. The disease that affects juniper the most is pear rust. This disease only affects junipers and pear trees. Also, it needs 2 hosts to live, the primary host being the juniper which is affected in winter and the secondary host the pear tree which is infected in spring. This disease spreads with the wind but also with insects like bees.

When spring arrives and the weather is both mild and wet, brown cones form on the branches of the juniper. These cones then become orange masses, as shown in the picture.

The natural and varied beauty of juniper

A collection of carefully selected images to inspire you and arouse your curiosity.

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