''Juniperus deppeana'' (alligator juniper or checkerbark juniper) is a small to medium-sized

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

reaching in height. It is native to central and northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

Description

The tree reaches , rarely , in height. The bark is usually very distinctive, unlike other

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

s, hard, dark gray-brown, cracked into small square plates superficially resembling

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

skin; it is however sometimes like other junipers, with stringy vertical fissuring. The

shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spri ...

s are in diameter. On juvenile specimens, the

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are needle-like and long. The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three; in adulthood they are scale-like, long (up to 5 mm) and 1–1.5 mm broad. The

cones A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

are berrylike, wide, green when young and maturing to orange-brown with a whitish waxy bloom,. These contain 2–6

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s, which mature in about 18 months. The male cones are long, and shed their pollen in spring. The species is largely

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, producing cones of only one sex on each tree, but occasional trees are

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

Taxonomy

There are five

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, not accepted as distinct by all authorities: *''Juniperus deppeana'' var. ''deppeana''. Throughout the range of the species. Foliage dull gray-green with a transparent or yellowish

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

spot on each leaf; cones diameter. *''Juniperus deppeana'' var. ''pachyphlaea'' (syn. ''J. pachyphlaea''). Arizona, New Mexico, northernmost Mexico. Foliage strongly glaucous with a white resin spot on each leaf; cones 7–12 mm diameter. *''Juniperus deppeana'' var. ''robusta'' (syn. ''J. deppeana'' var. ''patoniana''). Northwestern Mexico. Cones larger, diameter. *''Juniperus deppeana'' var. ''sperryi''. Western Texas, very rare. Bark furrowed, not square-cracked, branchlets pendulous; possibly a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

with '' J. flaccida''. *''Juniperus deppeana'' var. ''zacatecensis''.

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

. Cones large, 10–15 mm diameter.

Etymology

Native American names include ''táscate'' and ''tláscal''.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to central and northern

(from

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

northward) and the southwestern United States (

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, western

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

). It grows at moderate altitudes of on dry soils.

Ecology

The berrylike cones are eaten by birds and

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

Uses

Berries from alligator juniper growing in the

Davis Mountains The Davis Mountains, originally known as Limpia Mountains, are a range of mountains in West Texas, located near Fort Davis, after which they are named. The fort was named for then United States Secretary of War and later Confederate President Je ...

of West Texas are used to flavor gin, including one produced by WildGins Co. in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

References

External links

*Adams, R. P. (2004). ''Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus''. Trafford Publishing
Gymnosperm Database: ''Juniperus deppeana''Flora of North America: ''Juniperus deppeana''USDA Plant Profile: ''Juniperus deppeana''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2066393 deppeana Trees of Northwestern Mexico Trees of Durango Trees of Puebla Trees of Veracruz Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of the Southwestern United States Trees of the Western United States Flora of New Mexico Trees of the Southwestern United States Trees of the South-Central United States Drought-tolerant trees Least concern plants Flora of North America Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental