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 cight 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. 
Propertics 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. 
Varictics —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, 
