Ashe Juniper
(Juniperus ashei)



The Ashe Juniper is a member of the Cupressaceae family which is also known as the cypress family. 

Height:
Ashe Juniper can grow to be around 6 meters tall, which is around a height of 20 feet.

Leaf and Bark Type:
Leaves are scale like with blunt points and a dark green color. They are also lined with very small teeth. The bark peels into long strips, with some fissures forming on older trunks. The bark is also a reddish-brown color.

Where does it grow and in what conditions:
This tree is common through Central Texas, but has a limited range in the country. It naturally occurs on shallow, limestone-derived soils, but has spread from rocky outcrops to large grasslands where grazing animals are present.

Pollinators:
The berries produced by the tree are dispersed by birds and mammals. The tree has found large success in grasslands due to grazing cattle eating the berries and dispersing them. American robins and cedar waxwings are two important birds for the dispersal of Ashe Juniper berries since they have high populations in the trees environment while the berries are ripening.

Fruit:
The fruit of the Ashe Juniper develops in summer and is ripe in early fall and winter, but the berries usually will persist through the winter. It is a round, blue, berrylike cone that has thin flesh that encloses one or two seeds.

Uses:
The strips of bark are used by the endangered golden-cheeked warbler to make its nests. Many people are allergic to the pollen, resulting in outbreaks of "cedar fever" in late winter. All junipers are also highly valued ornamental tees. The bark of Ashe juniper was used by Native Americans to make mats, saddles and other items.

GPS Location


Submitted by Larrimer
Pictures coming soon

Citations:
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/junash/all.html#DISTRIBUTION%20AND%20OCCURRENCE
http://texnat.tamu.edu/library/symposia/juniper-ecology-and-management/biology-and-ecology-of-ashe-juniper/
http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/treedetails/?id=53