Castle Howard Arboretum Trust - Furniture Makers Trees

Botanical name: Juniperus communis

Family: Cupressaceae

Common Name: Juniper

Habitat and Distribution:

Common juniper has the largest geographic range of any woody plant in the world. It is circumboreal in distribution, occurring chiefly on chalk and limestone from western Alaska throughout Canada and northern parts of the USA, in coastal areas of Greenland, in Iceland, throughout Europe and in northern Asia and Japan. It is widespread in Europe, except for some low-lying areas around the Mediterranean, and it also occurs in North Africa. In North America it extends from beyond the northern limit of trees south to the Carolinas and the mountains of California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Description:

Evergreen slow growing, small tree or bush with wide spreading branches pointing upwards,

typically at a 45^oF angle from the ground, usually found as a multi-branched shrub 2-4 metres (6-12 ft) tall and 2.5-4 metres (8-12 ft) wide.

Fine, awl-shaped, glossy grey-green to blue-green, needles persist for 3 years. The needles are set at a wide angle from stem, they are concave with a broad white band on upper-side and have a blunt needle tip. The needles often turn a yellowish brown during winter months which can be unattractive.

Male and female flowers are borne in March on separate plants; they are yellow and tiny and are clustered in the leaf axils.

The fruits are 3-seeded cones on short stalks, globose in shape and about 1 cm (0.33-0.5 in) in diameter. They are blue-black in colour with a waxy bloom and ripen to black during second or third year.

The bark is reddish brown, flaking off in thin strips. It is typically hidden by foliage.

Location within the arboretum:

A group of specimens can be found in the old entrance gate area, about half way along, quite close to the fence on the northern boundary

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

Timber:

The sapwood is white, resinous and aromatic; the heartwood is brown. The timber has a fine texture and is durable but it is also brittle and knotty.

Uses:

The timber is mainly used for turning, inlays and veneers but small amounts have been used for pencils and other small items.

The wood has been used to produce charcoal and also since burning juniper wood gives off only minimal visible smoke and this smoke is highly aromatic it is used to smoke meat.

The berries are used to flavour game

Juniper oil is distilled from berries; this is used widely for the flavouring of beverages (such as beer in Norway) and liquors, particularly of the Gin type. Several European liquors, "Steinhager" have their characteristic flavour chiefly due to the presence of Juniper Berry Oil.

The oil has been known for a long time as a diuretic.