Scientific name: Juniperus monticola M. Martínez 1946

Synonyms: Cupressus sabinoides Kunth, Juniperus monticola f. orizabensis Martinez, Juniperus monticola subsp. orizabensis (Martínez) Silba, Juniperus monticola var. monticola, Juniperus sabinoides f. monticola M.C.Johnst., Juniperus sabinoides f. orizabensis (Mart.) M.C.Johnst., Juniperus sabinoides var. sabinoides, Juniperus tetragona Schltdl., Sabina sabinoides Small, Sabina tetragona Antoine

Common names: Mexican juniper, Mexican mountain juniper, Mexican alpine juniper (English), Sabina, Savino (Spanish)

Description

Shrub, or shrubby tree to 6 m tall, or a dwarfed shrub at and above timberline, usually branched from the base, with trunk to 0.6 m in diameter. Bark reddish brown, weathering grayish brown, thin, 5-8 mm thick, fibrous, peeling in long, narrow strips. Crown irregular, with spreading to rising, often crooked branches. Branchlets sparse and elongate to very dense and short, four-angled, 1.5 mm thick, sometimes arranged in two-dimensional arrays. Adult leaves in alternating pairs, scalelike, 1-1.5 mm long, grayish green, often with a waxy coating, sometimes with an obscure gland near the base, the edge minutely toothed, the tip blunt and pressed against the twig. Pollen and seed cones on separate plants. Pollen cones single at the tips of branchlets, oblong, about 4 mm long, with six alternating pairs of pollen scales. Seed cones single at the tips of curved branchlets, spherical or irregularly lumpy, 5-10 mm long, dark bluish black or brownish blue, with a thin waxy coating, maturing in 1 year. Seeds (two or) three or four (to eight), 4-5 mm long, shiny dark brown, the paler attachment scar about half the length of the seed.

Mountains of central Mexico (hence the scientific name, Latin for “mountain inhabiting”), from southern Coahuila and western Jalisco to Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, with an outlier in western Guatemala (Huehuetenango). Alpine grassland and understory of subalpine forests on rocky substrates; (2,000-)3,000-4,700 m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

With a huge extent of occurrence, but a limited area of occupancy, this species is not threatened. The alpine decumbent forms could be affected by climate change but there is no evidence that this is happening.

The large shrub to small tree form of this species is occasionally found in Pinyon-Juniper woodland, or in other open pine forest; it has also been reported from "Ficus religiosa forest", with an understorey of Ribes, Rosa and Rubus. The decumbent shrub form is common at or above the tree line (usually with Pinus hartwegii) on ridges of basalt or consolidated scree, with grasses e.g. Calamagrostis and Festuca, shrubs such as Ribes, and some alpine herbs, or on rocks and cliffs to the limit of vegetation on Mexico's highest volcanoes. The altitudinal range of the species is 2,000-4,270 m a.s.l. Despite high precipitation on these mountains, the environment is decidedly xeric due to the porosity of volcanic substrates, but snowmelt may provide a relatively reliable, slow-release moisture source in spring and early summer.

No specific threats have been identified for this species. This species is not in cultivation, but the decumbent alpine form would probably be suitable for rock gardens and withstand low winter temperatures.

This species is present in several protected areas, among which is the Pico de Orizaba National Park.

Cultivars: -

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland