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Cupressaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Juniperus foetidissima

Juniperus foetidissima

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

Juniperus foetidissima is native to hot, dry summer regions from the Mediterranean region with its mild, moist winters, with transitions to more continental interior regions where winters are drier and colder[1]. The plant is known to tolerate short-lived temperatures down to around -8°c in cultivation[2]. The mean annual precipitation within its native range can vary from 400 - 1,000mm[3]. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Grows in the wild on limestone crags or rocky slopes, or on serpentine or other base-rich rock, often in shallow soils[1]. The plant takes around 30 years from seed to producing seed[1]. In the wild, despite its often rather arid habitat, Juniperus foetidissima can become immense and very ancient. Trees are known in Turkey with measurements of up to 42 metres tall, and trunks up to 200cm in diameter, and one of 27 metres has been recorded with a diameter of 462cm. In cultivation, however, there appear to be very few trees, which is curious - especially with provenances so close to western Europe as the Balkans. At the Hillier Gardens in southern England a slow-growing specimen planted before 1976 has now reached 5.5 metres (trunk 7cm in diameter), but this is the only one traced[3].

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[4, 5]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[6]. 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[7]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/early autumn in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[7, 4]. Layering in September/early autumn. Takes 12 months[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Juniperus+foetidissima>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  3. [3]New Trees — Grimshaw J.; Bayton R.; Wilks H. · Kew Publishing; London · 2009 · ISBN 1842461737 ↩︎Provides comprehensive botanical descriptions and horticultural commentary on over 800 tree species that have been introduced to cultivation in recent decades.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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 ]).
  8. [8]Traditional Medicine in Turkey VI.Folk Medicine in West Anatolia: Afyon, Kütahya, Denizli, Muğla, Aydın provinces — Gisho Honda; Erdem Yesilada; Mamoru Tabata; Ekrem Sezik; Tet · 1996 ↩︎
  9. [9]Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory and Antinociceptive Effects of Some Juniperus Species Growing in Turkey — Orhan N.; Akkol E.; Ergun F. · 2012 · ISBN doi:10.3906/biy-1 ↩︎
  10. [10]A Potential New Source of Cedarwood Oil: Juniperus foetidissima Willd. — Tunalier Z.; Kirimer N.; Baser K.H.C. · 2004 · ISBN DOI: 10.1080/1041 ↩︎
  11. [11]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.