Chinese Juniper

The Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis) is a shrub or tree, very variable in shape, reaching 1-20 m tall. It is native to northeast Asia, in China, Mongolia, Japan, Korea and the southeast of Russia.

The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 5-10 mm long, and adult scale-leaves 1.5-3 mm long. Mature trees usually continue to bear some juvenile foliage as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown. It is largely dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. The cones are berry-like, 7-12 mm in diameter, blue-black with a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 2-4 seeds; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring.

It is a popular ornamental tree or shrub in gardens and parks, with over 100 named cultivars selected for various characters, such as yellow foliage (e.g. cvs. 'Aurea', 'Tremonia'), permanently juvenile foliage (e.g. cv. 'Shoosmith'), columnar crown shape (cv. 'Columnaris'), abundant cones (e.g. cv. 'Kaizuka'), etc. The cultivar 'Shimpaku' is a very important bonsai subject.

The hybrid between Chinese Juniper and Savin Juniper , known as Pfitzer Juniper (Juniperus x pfitzeriana, synonym J. x media), is also very common as a cultivated plant. It is only ever a shrub, never a tree, making it suitable for smaller gardens.