Rocky Mountain Juniper

Rocky Mountain Juniper is a juniper native to western North America, ranging from British Columbia and Alberta south through the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges into Texas, Arizona and northern Mexico. It is a small to medium sized, often single stemmed tree reaching 10 to 20 meters, with scale like blue green foliage and small, bluish, berry like cones that mature over two seasons. The species is highly drought tolerant and grows on dry, rocky slopes, canyon rims and foothills across much of the interior American West, often as a scattered component of open woodlands. Its aromatic, reddish heartwood has been used for fence posts, cabinetry and pencil manufacture, similarly to its eastern relative Eastern Redcedar.