| Juniperus coahuilensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Genus: | Juniperus |
| Species: | J. coahuilensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Juniperus coahuilensis Martínez Gaussen ex R.P.Adams | |
Juniperus coahuilensis, commonly known asredberry juniper, is a species ofconifer in the familyCupressaceae.[2]
Juniperus coahuilensis grows as a large shrubby tree up to 8 metres (26 feet) tall. It is usually multi-trunked.[3] Thebark is brown to gray, exfoliating in long strips on mature trunks and branches.[3]
The leaves are green to light green, and have glands that can produce a white crystalline exudate.[3]
Thecones are a fleshy glaucous yellow-orange to dark red, 6–7 millimetres (1⁄4–9⁄32 in) in diameter, and mature in one year.[3]
This species is unusual in that it sprouts from the stump when cut or burned, which has probably allowed it to remain in the grasslands in spite of periodic grass fires that kill all other juniper species.[4]
The species is known to have been present during the LateWisconsin Glacial Episode of thelast glacial period, in North American latitudes defined by fossils from theWaterman Mountains in present-day Arizona.[5]
The shrubby tree is found in northernMexico and areas of theSouthwestern United States within central and southeasternArizona, southwesternNew Mexico, andWest Texas includingBig Bend National Park.[3]
This species occurs in high desertgrasslands at elevations of 1,200–2,000 m (3,900–6,600 ft), inBouteloua spp. grasslands and adjacent rocky areas.[1] In Mexico, it can also occur in canyons oralluvial fans. In theChihuahuan Desert andSonoran Desert ecoregions, it often in association withOpuntia spp. and/orYucca spp.[4]
