Plant Name One seed Juniper

Scientific Name: Juniperus monosperma

Synonyms: Juniperus occidentalis var. gymnocarpa, Sabina monosperma

Common Names: Oneseed Juniper, One-seed Juniper

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial, Evergreen

Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Upland, Mountain

Flower Color: Non-flowering (produces only pollen cones or seed cones)

Height: To 40 feet (12 m) tall, but usually much less

Description: These plants are dioecious. The seed cones are fleshy, round, resinous,
usually single-seeded, and are initially green but mature to a glaucous reddish to
brownish blue and dry to a rust color. The leaves are tiny, green, and scale-like.
The bark is gray and shredding. The trunk is heavily branched at or near the base.

Special Characteristics

Allergenic – The pollen is a moderate allergen.

Edible – The cones (juniper berries) are edible, but they are small and have thin flesh.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Coniferophyta – Conifers
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae – Cypress family
Genus: Juniperus L. – juniper
Species: Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg. – oneseed juniper


Juniperus monosperma (One-seed juniper) is a species of juniper native to western North
America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma
(Panhandle), and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It grows
at 970–2300 m altitude.

It is an evergreen coniferous shrub or small tree growing to 2–7 m (rarely to 12 m) tall,
usually multi-stemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown. The bark is gray-brown, exfoliating
in thin longitudinal strips, exposing bright orange brown underneath. The ultimate shoots
are 1.2–1.9 mm thick. The leaves are scale-like, 1–2 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm broad on small
shoots, up to 10 mm long on vigorous shoots; they are arranged in alternating whorls of
three or opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves, produced on young seedlings only, are needle-like.
The cones are berry-like, with soft resinous flesh, subglobose to ovoid, 5–7 mm long, dark Blue
with a pale Blue-white waxy bloom, and contain a single seed (rarely two or three); they are
mature in about 6–8 months from pollination. The male cones are 2–4 mm long, and shed their
pollen in late winter. It is usually dioecious, with male and female cones on separate plants,
but occasional monoecious plants can be found. Its roots have been found to extend to as far as
61m below the surface, making it the plant with the second deepest roots, after Boscia albitrunca.

Uses
Among the Zuni people, a poultice of the chewed root applied to increase strength of newborns
and infants. An infusion of the leaves is also taken for muscle aches and to prevent conception.
An infusion of the leaves is also taken postpartum to prevent uterine cramps and stop vaginal
bleeding. A simple or compound infusion of twigs at is used to promote muscular contractions
at birth and used after birth to stop blood flow. The wood is also used as a favorite and
ceremonial firewood, and the shredded, fibrous bark is specifically used as tinder to ignite
the fire sticks used for the New Year fire.

Soap making
Berry Power!
It seems hard to believe that these little berries could pack such a powerfully beneficial
punch, but gather ye juniper berries en masse, or use our soap, and start the healing process
today.

Indeed, these berries have been proven to combat acne, beat back psoriasis, thwart weeping
eczema and deter dermatitis. Alongside these benefits, they are a natural astringent, antiseptic,
anti-rheumatic and dandruff repellent. These powerful little berries are known to help control
and rebalance oily skin while unclogging your pores at the same time.

Worried about cellulite or the appearance of your skin? When you incorporate juniper berries
into your daily regimen that worry will be a thing of the past. Cellulite treatments today have
begun integrating them because they detoxify the body and reduce water retention, ultimately
reducing puffiness and restoring the firm appearance of your skin.

Coupled with this, when they’re concentrated and included in your bathing the effects are miraculous.
Juniper berries have been shown to promote circulation, aid pain relief for arthritis, swollen joints
and muscle fatigue. All these beneficial properties don’t even begin to include its fantastic properties
for your mental health. The diffused oil helps relieve mental and emotional strains like anxiety, mental
fatigue and stress; supplanting these emotions with tranquility.