flaky juniper

It is an evergreen shrub (rarely a small tree) reaching 2–10 metres (6+1⁄2–33 feet) tall (rarely 15 m), with flaky brown bark, and a prostrate to irregularly-conical crown. The leaves are broad, needle-like, 3–9 millimetres (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long, arranged in six ranks in alternating whorls of three, and often strongly a glaucous blue-green in color. The cones are berry-like, globose to ovoid, 4–9 mm long, and 4–6 mm diameter. Often, they are a glossy black and contain one seed; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 3–4 mm long and shed their pollen in early spring. It is largely dioecious, with pollen and seed cones produced on separate plants, but occasionally monoecious.

It is found in (and native to) northeastern Afghanistan east to western Yunnan in southwestern China, with disjunct populations north to western Gansu, east to Fujian, and Taiwan. Recently, however, it was introduced to the United States in 1964 after being exported from the Netherlands. It grows at altitudes from 1,600 to 4,900 m (5,200 to 16,100 ft).

Juniperus squamata is widely grown as an ornamental plant in Europe and North America, valued for its bluish foliage and compact habit. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

'Blue Carpet' 'Blue Star' 'Holger'

== References ==