Juniperus sabina

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Juniperus sabina
Juniperus sabina cult1.jpg
Foliage on a cultivated specimen
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Juniperus
Section: Juniperus sect. Sabina
Species:
J. sabina
Binomial name
Juniperus sabina
L.
Synonyms [2]
  • Juniperus alpinaLodd. nom. illeg.
  • Juniperus arenaria(E.H.Wilson) Florin
  • Juniperus davuricaLindl. & Gordon
  • Juniperus davuricaPall.
  • Juniperus excelsaWilld. nom. illeg.
  • Juniperus humilisSalisb. nom. illeg.
  • Juniperus lusitanicaMill.
  • Juniperus officinalisGarcke
  • Juniperus tamariscifoliaK.Koch
  • Sabina alpestrisJord.
  • Sabina cupressifoliaAntoine ex K.Koch
  • Sabina davurica(Pall.) Antoine
  • Sabina officinalisGarcke nom. illeg.
  • Sabina tamariscifoliaK.Koch
  • Sabina villarsiiJord.
  • Sabina vulgarisAntoine

Juniperus sabina, the savin juniper or savin, is a species of juniper native to the mountains of central and southern Europe and western and central Asia, from Spain to eastern Siberia, typically growing at altitudes of 1,000-3,300 m ASL. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

The shrub is very variable in shape, up to 1–4 m tall. The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 5–10 mm long, and adult scale-leaves 1–2 mm long on slender shoots 0.8–1 mm thick. Juvenile leaves are found mainly on seedlings but mature shrubs sometimes continue to bare some juvenile leaves as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown. It is largely dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. The cones are berry-like, 5–9 mm in diameter, blue-black with a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 1-3 (rarely 4 or 5) seeds; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2–4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring. [3] [4]

All parts of the plant are poisonous due to several toxic compounds including ethereal oils. [5]

This plant is the alternate (telial) host of the Pear Rust fungus Gymnosporangium fuscum .

Varieties

There are two varieties, [3] treated by some botanists as distinct species: [4]

The hybrid between Juniperus chinensis and Juniperus sabina, known as Juniperus × pfitzeriana (Pfitzer juniper, synonym J. × media), is found in the wild where the two species meet in northwestern China, and is also very common as a cultivated ornamental plant. It is a larger shrub, growing to 30–60 cm tall.

Uses

Juniperus sabina is a popular ornamental shrub in gardens and parks, with numerous named cultivars selected.

Savin was used in abortifacient drugs in 19th century America. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Juniper Genus of plants

Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa, from Ziarat, Pakistan, east to eastern Tibet in the Old World, and in the mountains of Central America. The highest-known juniper forest occurs at an altitude of 16,000 ft (4,900 m) in southeastern Tibet and the northern Himalayas, creating one of the highest tree-lines on earth.

<i>Juniperus communis</i> species of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae

Juniperus communis, the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the genus Juniperus, in the family Cupressaceae. This evergreen conifer has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic south in mountains to around 30°N latitude in North America, Europe and Asia. Relict populations can be found in the Atlas Mountains of Africa.

<i>Juniperus chinensis</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus chinensis, the Chinese juniper is a species of plant in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East. Growing 1–20 m (3.3–65.6 ft) tall, it is a very variable coniferous evergreen tree or shrub,

Juniperus indica, the black juniper, is a juniper native to high-altitude climates in the Himalaya, occurring from the northern Indus Valley in Kashmir east to western Yunnan in China.

<i>Juniperus excelsa</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus excelsa, commonly called the Greek juniper, is a juniper found throughout the eastern Mediterranean, from northeastern Greece and southern Bulgaria across Turkey to Syria and Lebanon, Jordan and the Caucasus mountains.

<i>Juniperus californica</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus californica, the California juniper, is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America.

<i>Juniperus occidentalis</i> Species of tree in North America

Juniperus occidentalis, known as the western juniper, is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800–3,000 metres (2,600–9,800 ft) and rarely down to 100 metres (330 ft). It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is a widespread species with an increasing population.

<i>Juniperus horizontalis</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus horizontalis, the creeping juniper or creeping cedar, is a low-growing shrubby juniper native to northern North America, throughout most of Canada from Yukon east to Newfoundland, and in the United States in Alaska, and locally from Montana east to Maine, reaching its furthest south in Wyoming and northern Illinois.

<i>Juniperus thurifera</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus thurifera is a species of juniper native to the mountains of the western Mediterranean region, from southern France across eastern and central Spain to Morocco and locally in northern Algeria.

<i>Juniperus recurva</i> Species of juniper

Juniperus recurva, commonly named the Himalayan juniper or drooping juniper, is a juniper native to the Himalaya, from northern Pakistan east to western Yunnan in southwestern China. It grows at 3,000-4,000 m altitude.

<i>Juniperus procumbens</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus procumbens is a species of shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to Japan. This low-growing evergreen conifer is closely related to the Chinese juniper, Juniperus chinensis, and is sometimes treated as a variety of it, as J. chinensis var. procumbens.

<i>Juniperus squamata</i> Species of Juniper

Juniperus squamata, the flaky juniper or Himalayan juniper, is a species of coniferous shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the Himalayas and China

<i>Juniperus deppeana</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus deppeana is a small to medium-sized tree reaching 10–15 m tall. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It grows at moderate altitudes of 750–2,700 meters (2,460–8,860 ft) on dry soils.

<i>Juniperus flaccida</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus flaccida is a large shrub or small tree reaching 5–10 m tall. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the extreme southwest of Texas, United States. It grows at moderate altitudes of 800-2,600 m, on dry soils.

<i>Juniperus foetidissima</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus foetidissima, with common names foetid juniper or stinking juniper, is a juniper tree species in the family Cupressaceae.

<i>Juniperus monosperma</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus monosperma is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma (Panhandle), and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude.

<i>Juniperus pinchotii</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus pinchotii, commonly known as Pinchot juniper or redberry juniper, is a species of juniper native to south-western North America, in Mexico: Nuevo León and Coahuila, and in the United States: south-eastern New Mexico, central Texas, and western Oklahoma.

<i>Juniperus pseudosabina</i> Species of juniper

Juniperus pseudosabina, the Turkestan juniper or dwarf black juniper is a species of juniper.

<i>Juniperus semiglobosa</i> Species of Juniper

Juniperus semiglobosa is a species of juniper native to the mountains of Central Asia, in northeastern Afghanistan, westernmost China (Xinjiang), northern Pakistan, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, western Nepal, northern Republic of India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It grows at altitudes of 1,550–4,350 metres (5,090–14,270 ft) .

<i>Juniperus standleyi</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus standleyi is a species of juniper native to Guatemala and the adjacent extreme southeast of Mexico, where it occurs at elevations of 3,000–4,250 m. Its local common names include huitó, cipres, and huitum.

References

  1. Farjon, A. (2013). "Juniperus sabina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T42249A2966599. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42249A2966599.en .
  2. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species , retrieved 11 February 2017
  3. 1 2 3 Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN   1-84246-068-4
  4. 1 2 3 Adams, R. P. (2004). Junipers of the World. Trafford. ISBN   1-4120-4250-X
  5. Plants for a Future: Juniperus sabina
  6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/04/20/aborted-fetus-and-pill-bottle-in-19th-century-new-york-outhouse-reveal-history-of-family-planning/