142 JUNIPERUS, OR 



Syn. Juniperus communis Indica, Madden. 

 Alpina, Wiriterbottom. 



,, ,, nana, Madden. 



Leaves in whorls of three, half- spreading, linear-lanceolate, 

 very acute, pungent, of a pale yellowish green, and about the 

 third of an inch long. Berries solitary, the size and shape of 

 a small pea, dark blue, covered with a glaucous bloom, ex- 

 tremely resinous, aromatic, and mostly three-seeded ; with three 

 divergent furrows on the apex, connected at the extremities by 

 an elevated scale, and thus forming a kind of platform on the 

 top, with three lateral scales lower down the sides of the berry. 

 The whole plant emits an exceedingly strong turpentine, or re- 

 sinous smell, when bruised, and the berries ripen from August 

 to November. 



This is the Indian Juniperus communis of Major Madden, in 

 his observations on the Himalayan Coniferre, and the " Better," 

 "Betr," " Bytr," and "Beetur," of the Bhotiyas; all vernacu- 

 lar variations in their dialect for yeast, or yielding yeast. In 

 Kamaon it is called "Pumaroa," and, according to Dr. Jame- 

 son and Capt. Strachey, it is found near Bumpa and on the 

 high mountains behind Mularee, at from 9500 to 10,500 feet 

 of elevation, but penetrating into the heart of the snowy 

 mountains to 14,000 feet. It is also found plentiful on the 

 Bhotan Alps, near the Netee Pass, forming a dense diffuse bush, 

 from three to six feet high. Major Madden found it in abun- 

 dance on the Glacier Moraines, west of Mana, at 12,000 to 

 13,000 feet of elevation, where it is known to the Bhotiyas as 

 " Churpinja." It was also found on the south face of the 

 Wyrung Pass in Kunawur by Dr. Hoffmeister, at an elevation 

 of from 11,000 to 12,000 feet, and Capt. Hutton found it on 

 the Roo-Nung Pass ; while its easternmost known position is 

 at 10,000 feet on the Gheto Binaik, at the south entrance to the 

 Alpine valley of Byans, where the Bhotiyas call it " Lhala." 

 In Joohar it occurs on the higher mountains, at elevations of 

 from 11,000 to 13,000 feet, where it is designated "Cheechia" 

 by the the hill people. It is much used in temples as incense, 



