Utah Juniper 



III 



The wood is rather soft, close-grained, light brown with a slight tinge of red. 

 It is only moderately durable in contact with the soil and is used locally for fence- 

 posts and for fuel. Its habit of throwing up vigorous sprouts from the stumps 

 after being repeatedly killed to the ground by fire should make it very valuable 

 in the forestry operations of desert regions. Where it grows it is associated with 

 the One-seeded jimiper, which, however, is confined to the sides of the canons, 

 and not subjected to fires, which it could not withstand. The species is related 

 to Juniperus gigantea K. Koch, of Mexico. 



4. UTAH JUNIPER — Juniperus utahensis (Engehnann) Lemmon 

 Juniperus calijornica utahensis Lemmon 



A tree or shrub of the Great Desert region,where it is often the most abun- 

 dant arborescent plant, at an altitude of about 1500 meters, becoming larger but 

 more scattered on the dry, mountain sides up to 2400 meters; it extends from 

 Wyoming and eastern Utah to Nevada, southeastern California, western Colorado 

 and northern New Mexico, attaining a maximum height of 6 meters with a trunk 

 diameter of about 6 dm. It is also called Desert juniper. 



The short trunk is more or less excentric and often irregularly furrowed into 

 rounded lobes. The numerous 

 crooked branches are erect or as- 

 cending, forming an open head. 

 The bark is about 6 mm. thick, pale 

 gray to nearly white, splitting into 

 thin, persistent scales. The twigs 

 are slender, at first yellowish green, 

 becoming, after the leaves fall off, 

 light red and scaly. The leaves, 

 persisting for many years, are pale 

 green or yellowish green, rounded 

 and without glands on the back; on 

 young plants and on vigorous twigs 

 they are needle-shaped and sharp- 

 pointed. The staminate flowers 

 consist of 18 to 24 stamens, ar- 

 ranged in opposite pairs or in 3's; 

 their connectives are broad and 

 minutely toothed. The pistillate 

 flowers consist of several thick, 

 spreading, sharp-pointed fertile 

 scales. The fruit is bluish at first, but reddish brown and glaucous when ripe; at 

 the end of the second season it is globose or oblong, 6 to 12 mm. long, the short 

 tips of its component scales often distinct; its flesh is quite sweet, dry, and 



Fig. 85. — Utah Juniper. 



