Juniperus pinchotii
Juniperus pinchotii
Safety & Hazards
The plant contains toxic monoterpenes. - juvenile plants are lower in total monoterpenes than mature plants. These monoterpenes act as a defense mechanism against browsing, thereby promoting survival and reproduction of the plant[1].
Cultivation Details
Juniperus pinchotii is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -15°c when fully dormant[2]. The climate is warm to cool temperate, with long dry spells and mostly summer rain coming as scattered storms[3] Requires an open, sunny position in a well-drained soil[3, 1]. The plant grows in the wild on shallow, rocky soils (often alkaline) that cannot support much vegetation[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1]. The plant is occasionally grown as an ornamental[3] This species usually grows in dry, rocky areas with low levels of vegetation and so any fires occur at wide intervals and usually not create a lot of heat. Although these low-intensity fires may top-kill the plant, it will often resprout afterwards from basal buds. In more fertile regions, where fires can be more intense and more frequent, the juniper is usually unable to establish in any quantity. With the advent of human activity (ranching) preventing fires in these more fertile areas, the juniper has been able to spread into these sites and is often seen as an aggressive invader of these grasslands[1]. This species hybridizes with Juniperus coahuilensis, but not with Juniperus ashei or Juniperus monosperma[4]. A dioecious species, though a small percentage of plants are monoecious[1]; generally both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required
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[5, 6]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[7]. 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[8]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/early autumn in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[8, 5]. Layering in September/early autumn. Takes 12 months[5]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Juniperus+pinchotii>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [1]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
- [2]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
- [3]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.
- [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
- [5]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.
- [6]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.
- [7]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.
- [8]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 ]).
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎