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Cupressaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Juniperus excelsa

Juniperus excelsa

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

Juniperus excelsa is found mainly in the continental climate of western Asia with hot, dry summers and moderately cold winters. It grows mainly in regions where the mean annual precipitation is within the range 500 - 1,000mm. It is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c for short periods when dormant[1, 2]. Plants are more tender when young, and generally require a sheltered position[3]. Succeeds in dry soils[4]. Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[5] and succeeding on chalk[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[2]. Trees grow slowly and take two centuries or more to attain any harvestable size as a timber crop, so its exploitation for timber is or would not be sustainable if it occurred on a commercial scale[6] The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens[4, 6]. The crushed foliage emits a warm resinous scent[7]. Plants are usually monoecious though sometimes dioecious forms are found - in which case both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[5].

Propagation

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[8, 9]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[5]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[3]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/early autumn in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[3, 8]. Layering in September/early autumn. Takes 12 months[8]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Juniperus+excelsa>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  7. [7]Conifers in the British Isles. — Mitchell. A. F. · HMSO · 1975 · ISBN 0-11-710012-9 ↩︎A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Conifers. — Rushforth. K. · Christopher Helm · 1987 · ISBN 0-7470-2801-X ↩︎Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.
  10. [10]An Insight into therapeutic Potential of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb — Kulsoom Zahara; Yamin Bibi; Abdul Qayyum; Ahmad Sher; Abdul · 2017 ↩︎
  11. [11]Ethnobotany of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. (Cupressaceae) in Iran — Atefeh Pirani, Hamid Moazzeni, Shahab Mirinejad, Farzaneh Na · 2011 · http://www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol9/i1547-3465-09-335.pdf ↩︎This report actually refers to Juniperus polycarpos, recognized as distinct in 2014.
  12. [12]Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). — Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. · Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]A Manual of Indian Timbers. — Gamble. J. S. · Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh · 1972 · ISBN - ↩︎First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.