Belongs within: Cupressoideae.
Juniperus, junipers, is a Northern Hemisphere genus of conifers bearing fleshy, berry-like seed cones (Hickman 1993).
Characters (from Hickman 1993): Shrub or tree, generally dioecious. Bark thin, peeling in strips; young shoots four-angled to cylindric. Leaves opposite and four-ranked or whorled in threes and six-ranked, scale-like to less often awl- or needle-like. Pollen cones with two to six pollen sacs per scale. Seed cone 5–18 mm, more or less fleshy, berry-like, glaucous or not, dry or resinous, sweet, formed by fusion of scales, more or less spheric, surrounded at base by minute scale-like bracts, generally maturing in second year; scales 3–8, opposite or whorled in threes. Seeds 1–3(12) per cone, more or less flat, unwinged, often not angled, generally animal-dispersed over two years; cotyledons 2–6.
<==Juniperus | i. s.: J. confertaG02 | J. ekmaniiJ87 | J. foetidissimaD30 | J. lyciaS99 | J. mexicanusBT87 | J. nanaC74 | J. pauliMM12 | J. utahensisS-TG10 |--J. sect. JuniperusMM12 | |--+--J. deltoidesMM12 | | `--J. oxycedrusMM12 | | |--J. o. ssp. oxycedrusY98 | | `--J. o. ssp. macrocarpaY98 | `--+--J. formosanaMM12 | `--+--J. rigidaMM12 | `--+--J. communisMM12 (see below for synonymy) | | |--J. c. ssp. communisH09 | | |--J. c. ssp. alpinaH09 | | `--J. c. var. depressaV72 | `--J. taxifoliaMM12 `--+--J. (sect. Caryocedrus) drupaceaMM12 `--J. sect. SabinaMM12 |--+--J. phoenicea Linnaeus 1753MM12, PL04 | |--+--J. proceraMM12 | | `--+--J. excelsaMM12 | | `--+--J. thuriferaMM12 | | `--+--J. chinensisMM12 [=Sabina chinensisLO98] | | | |--J. c. var. chinensisMH98 | | | `--J. c. var. sargentiiMH98 | | `--J. procumbensMM12 | `--+--J. microspermaMM12 | `--+--J. semiglobosaMM12 | `--+--J. sabinaMM12 | `--+--J. lucayanaMM12 | |--J. saxicolaMM12 | `--+--J. virginianaMM12 | |--+--J. bermudianaMM12 | | `--J. graciliorMM12 | `--+--J. blancoiMM12 | |--J. horizontalisMM12 | `--J. scopulorumMM12 `--+--+--J. pseudosabinaMM12 | `--+--J. convalliumMM12 | |--J. indicaMM12 | |--J. pingiiMM12 | |--J. recurvaMM12 | |--J. squamataMM12 | |--J. tibeticaMM12 | `--+--J. przewalskiiMM12 | `--J. saltuariaMM12 `--+--+--J. flaccidaMM12 | `--J. monticolaMM12 `--+--+--J. occidentalisMM12 | | |--J. o. var. occidentalisH93 | | `--J. o. var. australisH93 | `--J. osteospermaMM12 `--+--J. asheiMM12 |--J. californicaMM12 |--J. monospermaMM12 |--+--J. durangensisMM12 | `--J. saltillensisMM12 `--+--J. gamboanaMM12 `--+--J. deppeanaMM12 | |--J. d. var. deppeanaMM12 | `--J. d. var. pachyphlaeaMM12 `--+--J. coahuilensisMM12 `--+--J. angosturanaMM12 |--J. comitanaMM12 `--J. pinchotiiMM12
Juniperus communisMM12 [incl. J. communis var. jackiiH93, J. communis var. montanaH93, J. communis var. saxatilisH93]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[BT87] Baker, E. W., & D. M. Tuttle. 1987. The false spider mites of Mexico (Tenuipalpidae: Acari). United States Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin 1706: 1–237.
[C74] Coineau, Y. 1974. Éléments pour une monographie morphologique, écologique et biologique des Caeculidae (Acariens). Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, nouvelle série, Série A, Zoologie 81: 1–299, 24 pls.
[D30] Druce, G. C. 1930. Account of a botanical tour in Cyprus. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London 141: 50–52.
[G02] Gomez, B. 2002. A new species of Mirovia (Coniferales, Miroviaceae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Ranges (Spain). Cretaceous Research 23: 761–773.
[H09] Heltmann, H. 2009. Der Königstein (Piatra Craiului), die Perle der Burzenländer Gebirge. Mauritiana 20 (3): 515–527.
[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).
[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1–136.
[LO98] Lack, H. W., & H. Ohba. 1998. Die Xylothek des Chikusai Kato. Willdenowia 28: 263–276.
[MM12] Mao, K., R. I. Milne, L. Zhang, Y. Peng, J. Liu, P. Thomas, R. R. Mill & S. S. Renner. 2012. Distribution of living Cupressaceae reflects the breakup of Pangea. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 109 (20): 7793–7798.
[MH98] Morikawa, H., A. Higaki, M. Nohno, M. Takahashi, M. Kamada, M. Nakata, G. Toyohara, Y. Okamura, K. Matsui, S. Kitani, K. Fujita, K. Irifune & N. Goshima. 1998. More than a 600-fold variation in nitrogen dioxide assimilation among 217 plant taxa. Plant, Cell and Environment 21: 180–190.
[PL04] Pohl, G., & I. Lenski. 2004. Zur Verbreitung und Vergesellschaftung von Pennisetum orientale Rich. in Nordeuböa (Griechenland) (Poaceae, Paniceae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 83 (2): 209–223.
[S99] Schousboe, M. 1799. Sur la véritable origine de la résine, connue sous le nom de sandarac, et sur celle de la gomme arabique. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Societé Philomathique de Paris 2 (31): 50–51.
[S-TG10] Simova-Tošić, D., D. Graora, R. Spasić & D. Smiljanić. 2010. Oligotrophus betheli Felt (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a new species in the fauna of Europe. Arch. Biol. Sci. 62 (4): 1219–1221.
[V72] Voss, E. G. 1972. Michigan Flora. Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium.
[Y98] Yannitsaros, A. 1998. Additions to the flora of Kithira (Greece) I. Willdenowia 28: 77–94.