Class Pinopsida Rank Species | Division Pinophyta | |
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Similar Juniperus maritima, Juniperus durangensis, Juniperus coahuilensis, Juniperus barbadensis | ||
Juniperus grandis, with the common names Sierra juniper, Sierra western juniper, and western juniper, is a tree or tall shrub that is endemic to the Western United States.
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Distribution
The tree is native to the Sierra Nevada in eastern California and western Nevada; and the White and Inyo Mountains, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, and higher elevations of Mojave Desert mountains, in Southern California.
It is found in exposed, dry, rocky slopes, flats, pinyon-juniper woodland, and Temperate coniferous forest habitats, including the Sierra Nevada upper montane forest and Sierra Nevada subalpine zone ecoregions. It grows at elevations of 100–3,100 metres (330–10,170 ft).
Description
Juniperus grandis is a medium-sized tree 12–26 metres (39–85 ft) tall. It has a stout trunk up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) diameter, with red-brown bark.
The whorled leaves are scale-like and closely appressed. Most plants are dioecious, but about 5-10% are monoecious.
Its fleshy and berry-like cones are 5–9 mm diameter. Its pollination period is May and June. The seeds are wingless.