236 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



year does not enlarge, but resembles the flower bud, and does not 

 ripen until the autumn of the third season, when it becomes 

 fleshy and berry-like. Sometimes a low, crooked tree, but in our 

 range, and commonly elsewhere in the United States, a low 

 spreading shrub, often forming dense mats three or four feet 

 high. In Southern Illinois it frequently attains a height of twen- 

 ty-five feet and forms trunks eight to ten inches in diameter. 

 The foliage of the tree form is smaller than that of the dwarf. 



Distribution. The common Juniper is the most widely dis- 

 tributed tree of the northern hemisphere. In North America it 

 ranges from Labrador and Greenland to Pennsylvania on the 

 east, across the continent to Alaska and Northern California, and 

 along the Rocky Mountains to Northern Nebraska, Western 

 Texas and Arizona. In the old world it is widely spread over 

 Northern and Central Europe and Asia. In Minnesota often 

 found along the bluffs of rivers. 



Propagation. By seeds, as for Red Cedar. 



Properties of Wood. Hard, close-grained, light brown with 

 whitish sapwood, susceptible of a fine polish, very durable in con- 

 tact with the soil. 



Uses. The great hardiness and pretty dwarf habit of the com- 

 mon Juniper make it desirable in some situations for ornamental 

 planting. It readily yields itself to shearing. Many fine speci- 

 mens may be seen in the parks of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and 

 elsewhere. In India the wood and twigs are burned for incense, 

 and on the high Himalayan passes are used for fuel. The fruit 

 is gathered in Europe in large quantities for flavoring gin, and is 

 occasionally used in medicine. 



Varieties. There are many varieties that are used in orna- 

 mental planting in this country and in Europe, some of which are 

 distinguished by the color of the foliage, and others by the habit 

 of growth, which may be columnar or pyramidal or dwarf and 

 compact. Some of these varieties in English and Dutch gardens 

 are trained into the shapes of globes, bowls, animals and other 

 fantastic forms. The Swedish Juniper, one of the most distinct 

 varieties, has erect branches, which form a narrow pyramidal 

 head. 



