12 BULLETIN 207, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The minute inconspicuous flowers of junipers are of two sexes. 

 Male, or pollen-bearing flowers (PL XII, a) , and female flowers, which 

 develop into fruit, are each borne chiefly on different trees, or in the 

 case of some species on the same tree (XXIV, a). 



The fruits, popularly called "berries," are morphologically cones, 

 the pulpy berrylike covering being made up of the fleshy flower 

 scales which unite as the fruit develops, so as to inclose the hard 

 seeds (1 to 12 in number; PL XI). The points of the flower scales 

 usually project from the surface of the fruit. Most of our native 

 junipers mature their fruit in from one to two seasons (two summers 

 and one winter), while one species requires three seasons (two sum- 

 mers and two winters). 1 When ripe, the berries are dark blue, red- 

 brown, or copper colored, and except in the case of one Texas juniper 

 the surface is covered with a whitish bloom, which is easily rubbed off. 

 The pulpy flesh of the berries is slightly juicy or mealy, sweetish, and 

 often strongly aromatic, due to the presence of resin cells. Both 

 birds and mammals, especially the former, eat the berries and thus 

 play a most important part in the dissemination of the seeds. 2 Other- 

 wise their distribution would be exceedingly slow, for the berries are 

 too heavy to be carried far from the mother trees except on washed 

 slopes. 



Junipers are further characterized by their narrow-ringed aromatic 

 durable wood, the "heart" portion of which is dull yellow-brown in 

 some species and a clear rose-purple red in others. The trunk bark 

 is rather soft and distinctly stringy, one species only having brittle 

 checkered hard bark (PL XX). 



Junipers are small or at most only medium-size trees unfit in most 

 cases for saw timber except for some minor purposes, although the 

 wood itself is suitable for general use. It is used largely for fence 

 posts, fuel, especially in localities where no other trees grow. From 

 the forester's standpoint junipers are important because of their 

 ability to grow on dry barren slopes and exposed situations where 

 few if any other trees will thrive. 



Twelve tree junipers inhabit the United States, nine of which 

 occur within the Rock Mountain region. Of the other three species, 

 one is confined to California, while two are found only in the eastern 

 United States. 



Junipers are of ancient origin, remains of them in Tertiary rocks 

 showing that they inhabited Europe ages ago. 



1 Prof. John G. Jack was the first to point out that in New England the common dwarf juniper (Juniperus 

 communis) requires three seasons for ripening its "berries" (Bot. Gazette, XVIII, 369, PI. XXXIII. 1893). 

 It is not known whether or not the species has a different habit elsewhere in its wide range. 



2 The hard bony coverings of the seeds are entirely unaffected by digestion except, as is believed, facilitat- 

 ing in some degree their germination. 



