#158 CHINESE JUNIPER
Juniperus chinensis
Planted: 1921
This tree is in the Chinese and Japanese Section, on the south side of the South Loop.
| Distribution: | Native to China, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the far east of Russia. |
| Planting Date: | 1921, purchased from Little and Ballantyne, Nursery and Seedsmen, Carlisle, Cumbria. |
| Growth Habit: | A very variable coniferous evergreen tree or shrub. Long lived – up to 200 years. |
| Bark: | Reddish-brown, shreds and peels in strips. |
| Leaf: | The leaves grow in two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 5 to 10 mm long, and adult scale-leaves 1.5 to 3 mm long. Mature trees usually continue to bear some juvenile foliage as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown. |
| Flowers: | Often dioecious (either male or female), but some individual plants produce both sexes of flowers. This specimen is a male with cones, 2 to 4 mm long, that shed their pollen in early spring. |
| Fruit: | The blue-black berry-like cones grow to 7 to 12 mm in diameter, have a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 2 to 4 seeds. They mature in about 18 months. |
| Toxicity: | The essential oil, obtained from young shoots and leaves, is highly toxic in its undiluted form. |
| Potential tree size | Growing to 1 to 20 m tall |
| Uses: | Ornamental tree. Berries (of female plants) are used to flavour gin. Also used as diuretic, anti-arthritis, anti-diabetes, antiseptic as well as for the treatment of gastrointestinal and autoimmune disorders. One of the top species used in the Japanese art of bonsai. |
| Plant Hunter: | William Kerr (died 1814) was the first Western professional plant collector, active in China. |
| Introduction Date: | Introduced to Kew in 1804. |
| Anecdotes and Comments: | Males trees are preferred as ornamental specimens as they do not produce ‘messy berries’. |