Scientific Name
Juniperus scopulorum
This tree is native to most of the state of Colorado as well as the other Rocky Mountain states and is valued in landscaping for its tolerance of drought, poor soil and extremes of temperature. However, it is scarce on the eastern plains, partly because young plants are vulnerable to fire. Like several other juniper species, it is available in a wide variety of cultivars selected for growth habit, color and other traits, and all are sometimes mistakenly called cedars.
The variety of cultivars makes it difficult to generalize about the appearance of this tree, but the foliage tends toward bluish green. Its form is typically a narrow pyramid in youth but later often developing a spreading or irregular crown that can reach around 35 feet at maturity, although the Colorado champion is twice that height. The foliage consists of small overlapping scales tightly pressed together on the stems, though some vigorous or juvenile growth may have small pointed prickly leaves poking out from the twigs. A larger cultivar can eventually grow to around 40 feet and may live for about 300 years.
Rocky Mountain juniper seed (female) cones are berry-like and about a quarter inch in diameter. Their color is a dark blue-black, but they are covered with a waxy bloom that makes them appear nearly white. The male cones are much smaller and blend in with the foliage but, when mature, release great quantities of pollen. Most (though not all) of these trees are single-sex and will only have either pollen cones or seed cones.
The wood of this tree is very aromatic and is sometimes used for its insect-repelling properties; it emits a very pleasant scent when burned. In southern Colorado, it is a frequent companion of the pinyon pine, another tree with aromatic wood.