JUNIPERUS DKUPA.CEA. 



173 



Swedish Jumper so called from its Scandinavian origin. The variety 

 hemisphcerica, found wild in beech-woods covering the higher slopes of 

 the mountains of Greece and southern Italy, and also on Mount Etna,, 

 is a modification or climatic form of the widely dispersed variety nana 

 of northern latitudes; this variety also occurs on the mountains of 

 Europe, ascending to 6,000 7,500 feet on the Alps ; it is also 

 abundant on the north-western Himalaya up to 14,000 feet. The 

 variety oblonya of the Caucasian region is probably not in cultivation 

 in this country ; the oblonya pendula of gardens is not a variety of 

 J. communis but a synonym of /. taxi/olid, a species inhabiting northern 

 China. 



Not much can be said of the economic value of the common 

 Juniper, as it rarely attains a sufficient size to yield workable timber. 

 In India the twigs are burned as incense, and in the higher 

 Himalayan passes the wood is used for fuel. The fruit is extensively 

 used on account of the diuretic properties which it imparts to gin,. 

 and when crushed and distilled, yields an essential oil. 



Juniperus drupacea. 



A dioacious tree 25 - 30 feet 

 high, trees of the two sexes 

 differing somewhat in habit ; the 

 male dense, of columnar or sharply 

 conical outline with short branches, 

 the female more diffuse with longer 

 spreading branches. In Great, 

 Britain the older trees densely 

 columnar with a single or divided 

 trunk, in the latter case the 

 secondary trunks erect or but slightly 

 divergent. Primary branches short, 

 ascending and covered with reddish 

 bark ; secondary branches short 

 and irregularly disposed. Leaves 

 persistent four five years, homo- 

 morphic, in whorls of three, linear- 

 acicular, rigid, pungent, and 

 spreading, 0'5 0'75 inch long, 

 slightly concave with two greyish 

 white stomatiferous lines above, 

 sharply keeled and light green 

 beneath. Staminate flowers in 

 clusters of three six each com- 

 posed of nine twelve stamens, 

 and surrounded at the base by 

 six, in two series of tliree, ovate, 

 leaf-like, strongly keeled bracts 

 about one-fourth as long as the leaves. Fruits ovoid, obtuse 

 or sub-spherical, about an inch in diameter, consisting of six nine 

 closely united, fleshy scales in verticils of three, enclosing a hard bony 

 kernel generally containing three coalescent seeds, but sometimes by 



Fig. 56. Juniperus drupacea. 

 (From the Gardeners' CJironide.) 



