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Scientific: Juniperus scopulorum
Common: Rocky Mountain juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Origin: Sub-montane mountainous regions of western United States, British Columbia south to Arizona.

Pronounciation: Ju-NIP-er-us skoo-pooh-LOR-um

Hardiness zones
Sunset
4-24
USDA 4-11

Landscape Use: Background, informal screen, specimen accent plant where contrasts of foliar color and texture are desired. Good for transition landscapes. Really nice in landscapes that use organic surface mulches. Especially great for use in Arizona landscapes at higher elevation.

Form & Character: Large, variably upright and reaching to pendulous and spreading, coniferous, full, dense, creates visions of the arid intermountain west like one gets when reading a Zane Grey novel.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, woody, narrowleaf perennial large shrub to small tree, moderate growth rate to 15- to 40-feet tall, variably spreading depending on cultivated form.

Foliage/Texture: Leaves scale-like in the classic "juniper" sense scarcely or not overlapping at all. Foliage and stems green to gray, often glaucous blue, fine texture

Flowers & Fruits: Dioecious; female cones purple to black, glaucous, 1/4 inch in diameter, 2-seeded, maturing mostly in 2 years.

Seasonal Color: None

Temperature: Tolerant

Light: Full sun to partial shade is required, no shade.

Soil: Tolerant

Watering: Infrequent but regular deep summer irrigations.

Pruning: To shape

Propagation: Hardwood cuttings of male plants.

Disease and Pests: Spider mites biggest problem, juniper scale rare in Phoenix.

Additional comments: Not generally thought of as a plant for "desert landscapes". A useful landscape shrub or small tree for landscapes in Flagstaff, Page, Payson, Pinetop, Prescott, Sedona, or Sierra Vista, but will tolerate desert conditions and grow just fine in Tucson and Phoenix.

Outstanding cultivars include: