Common juniper -- Juniperus communis

Pronunciation: june-ipp’-er-us com-mune’-us

Leaves: Persistent, ternate (whorls of 3), subulate (awl-shaped - broader at base and tapering to a sharp point), concave ⅓” - ½” long, silvery bands of stomata above, no overlapping scales like most other junipers

Cones: ¼” in diameter, sub-globose, blue, berry-like, matures in three seasons - has a powdery “bloom” that can rub off, has 3 seeds

Bark: Reddish-brown, peeling off on older branches

Habit/Form: Spreading, shrub like

Other: Wide distribution: everywhere but the extreme southwest, southeast, and central US

Mostly a sprawling shrub, rarely a small tree likes rocky soils

Plants are usually dioecious (having either male or female flowers, not both on the same plant)