Juniperus chinensis L. var. chinensis

Tree: evergreen; erect; 25 m maximum height; dioecious. Trunk: 0.6 m maximum diameter. Bark: grey, or brown; smooth – scaly, or furrowed. Crown: rather open, or dense; columnar to narrowly, widely conical (pyramidal), or globose – irregular. Branches: ascending, or horizontal. Ultimate branchlets: 0.8–1.5 mm wide; 5–35 mm long; arranged 3-dimensionally; roundish or quadrangular in cross-section.

Leaves: adult and juvenile leaves on adult plants; needle-like (linear: flattened in cross-section), or scaly. Needle leaves: 4–12 mm long; 0.8–1.5 mm wide; arranged oppositely or in whorls of 3; arranged in 4 rows; slightly spreading, or spreading; dark green; tip acute; dorsal side rounded; with two white stripes; decurrent and not jointed at the base. Scale leaves: 1–3 mm long; 0.7–1.2 mm wide; arranged oppositely; medium – dark green; closely appressed; only one type of leaves (no differentiation in lateral and facial leaves = monomorphic); tip blunt; with, or without white resin; with conspicuous glands; dorsal side rounded; with smooth margin; tip curved inwards.

Male cones: 3–6 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; solitary; 10–18 male cone scales; 5–9 male cone scale whorls; ovoid; yellow or bright brown. Male cone scales: arranged oppositely; 3–4 pollen sacs per male cone scale.

Female cones: 4–9 mm long; 4–9 mm wide; 4–8 cone scales; depressed-globose, 2-lobed, ovoid, or globose; berry-like (closed after maturity); fleshy; not disintegrating after maturity; bluish, or dark; young cones reddish, or green with bluish coating; female-cone bearing-branchlets straight. Female cone scales: arranged oppositely; without several small additional cone scales on the female cone; with small dorsal umbo; umbo more or less in the centre. Columella: absent.

Seeds: 3.1–6 mm long; 2.1–5 mm wide; 2–5 seeds per cone; bright brown – black; 1 seed per female cone scale; non-flattened; tubercled; with conspicuous hilum. Seed wings: absent (sometimes only small rips).

Supplement: maturity in the second year; 2–6 cotyledones; 22 chromosomes (2n), 33 chromosomes (3n), or 44 chromosomes (4n). Cultivation: cultivated in Germany; cultivated outdoor in the Ruhr Area (hardiness zone 7); Distribution: Asia: China, Birma, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia. IUCN Red List: not listed. Synonyms: Juniperus virginica Thunb., Juniperus sinensis J. F. Gmel., Juniperus cernua Roxb., Juniperus dimorpha Roxb., Juniperus flagelliformis hort. ex Loudon, Juniperus thunbergii Hook. & Arn., Juniperus sphaerica Lindl., Juniperus fortunei hort. ex Carrière, Juniperus cabiancae Vis., Juniperus chinensis L. var. pendula Franch., Juniperus sabina L. var. erectopatens (W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu) Y. F. Yu & L. K. Fu, Juniperus erectopatens (W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu) R. P. Adams, Sabina chinensis L., Sabina dimorpha (Roxb.) Antoine, Sabina sphaerica (Lindl.) Antoine, Sabina cabiancae (Vis.) Antoine, Sabina vulgaris Antoine, Sabina vulgaris Antoine var. erectopatens W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu. Common name: Chinese Juniper (ENG).