72 



ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



Fig. 68. — Several spe- 

 cies of juniper are 

 small, aromatic ever- 

 green trees suitable for 

 border and specimen 

 plantings. Inset shows 

 a branch tip. with nu- 

 merous small, needle- 

 like leaves on the lat- 

 eral shoots. 



"— M^l^r' 



beneath on older shoots. The dark green, scalelike leaves (Fig. 

 68 inset), about 1/16 inch long, grow in such a manner that the 

 stems appear square in cross section. ]\Iale and female flowers, 

 produced at the ends of twigs, are borne on separate trees in 

 early spring. The conelike male flowers with four to six scales 

 contain an abundance of yellow pollen. The female flowers have 

 violet-colored cone scales which become fleshy and grow together 

 to form a blue, fleshy, globose, berry-like, few-seeded fruit 14-V3 

 inch in diameter. The red-tinted, brown, thin bark peels off in 

 long, narrow, shredlike strips. 



Red cedar, Colorado juniper (J. scopulorum) , and many 

 forms of these two species are susceptible to the rust fungi which 

 frequently damage hawthorn and crabapple. Two pests of juni- 

 pers which cause severe defoliation in some seasons are bagworm 

 and spruce spider mite. The fragrant, fine-grained wood of red 

 cedar is relatively soft and brittle. However, it is exceedingly 

 durable and is suitable for fence posts, piles, railroad ties, and 



