Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola

(Small) E. Murray 1983

Common names

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Sabina silicicola Small 1923; J. silicicola (Small) Bailey (Silba 1986).

Description

"Trees to 10 m; crown flattened or conic (when young and protected or crowded). Bark cinnamon reddish. Branches spreading to pendulous. Scalelike leaves bluntly obtuse to acute at apex. Pollen cones 4-5 mm. Seed cones 3-4 mm. Seeds 1.5-3 mm." Apart from its restricted range, the variety "differs little in morphology or leaf terpenoids from upland J. virginiana and appears to intergrade with that variety in Georgia" (Adams 1993). See García Esteban et al. (2004) for a detailed characterization of the wood anatomy.

Distribution and Ecology

USA: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina at 0-15 m elevation on coastal foredunes and coastal river sandbanks (Adams 1993). Hardy to Zone 8 (cold hardiness limit between -12.1°C and -6.7°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001). See also Thompson et al. (1999).

Remarkable Specimens

American Forests (1996) report that the "champion" is in Archer, Florida, and has diameter 158 cm, height 23 m, and crown spread 16 m.

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

Adams, Robert P. 1993. Juniperus. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.): Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. This document is available online. Go to http://www.efloras.org, click on "Flora of North America," and search for "Juniperus."

American Forests 1996. The 1996-1997 National Register of Big Trees. Washington, DC: American Forests.

See also

Burns and Honkala (1990) (as J. silicicola).

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.