''Juniperus seravschanica'' is a species of

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 ...

. Common names include Pashtun juniper ( ps, اوبښته ''ōbəx̌ta'', " specieswhich sucks water"; Pashto: پښتني صنوبر). It ranges from southernmost Kazakhstan through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to northern and eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and Kashmir. Outlying populations are found in the mountains of southeastern Iran – near Kuhbanan, Rabor, and on Kuh-e Khabr in the

Hazaran Hazaran (Hazar, Hezar) is the name of a massif of the Central Iranian Plateau, Kerman Province, Iran, an eastern outlier of the Zagros Mountains. With an elevation of 4500 metres, it is the highest peak in Kerman Province. The jebal Barez chain i ...

range – and the

Al Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

."Juniperus seravschanica". ''Plants of the World Online''. Accessed 5 December 2020

/ref>Adams, R.P., Al-Farsi, A. & Schwarzbach, A.E. (2014). Confirmation of the southern-most population of Juniperus seravschanica in Oman by DNA sequencing of nrDNA and four cpDNA regions Phytologia 96: 218-224. ''Juniperus seravschanica'' is sometimes classified as a subspecies of '' Juniperus polycarpos, J. polycarpos'' or '' J. excelsa''.

Distribution

''Juniperus seravschanica'' occurs in the higher-elevation forests in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

and

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

, which the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

calls the Gissaro-Alai open woodlands. In this general region '' Juniperus turkestanica'', ''J. semiglobosa'',

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

s (''Acer'' spp.),

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

s (''Prunus amygdalus''), and roses (''Rosa'' spp.) also occur (although not necessarily in the same

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s). In eastern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

it also occurs in upper-montane woodlands of ''J. seravschanica'' which occur at elevations between , in the territory the WWF has delineated as

East Afghan montane conifer forests The East Afghan montane conifer forests ecoregion ( WWF ID: PA0506) covers a series of unconnected conifer forests along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, at elevations of to above sea level. The ecoregion supports the near-threaten ...

, and in the open

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

woodlands at elevations of , further south in the

Baluchistan xeric woodlands The Baluchistan xeric woodlands ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1307) covers the middle elevations of a series of mountain ranges of western Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan, reaching from the Arabian Sea in the south to the Hindu Kush Mountains and the ...

of southern Afghanistan and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Balochistan Province Balochistan (; bal, بلۏچستان; ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It shares land ...

. A substantial but dwindling forest of ''J. seravschanica'' is found in

Ziarat District Ziarat ( ur, ) is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town (situated at an altitude of about 2,400 meters) is headquarters of the district of the Sub division, and also of the tehsil. Khalifat Hills have the highe ...

and

Kalat District Kalat or Qalat ( Balochi and Brahui: ; ur, ) is a district in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of . The population of the district is estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005. The district is governe ...

of Pakistan, as well as

Zarghun Ghar Zarghun Ghar ( ps, زرغون غر, lit. "Green Mountain"), or Zarghoon Mountains, is a mountain range located in the east of the Quetta District, in Balochistan Province, western Pakistan. It contains the tallest mountain in the Balochistan r ...

near

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

and

Harboi Harboi ( Balochi and Brahvi: ہڑبوئ) is a mountain range located in the Kalat District of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 29°3'0N 66°43'0 E and is 9,000 feet high, and unlike most of the mountains in the area, which are black and ...

including some are found in

Koh-i-Takatu Koh-i-Takatu ( ur, ;Takatu Mount ”) is a Mount peak located in the Sulaiman Mountains range, in the North east of Quetta District of Balochistan Province, in western Pakistan. The highest peak of this Mountain range is Loai Saar or (Lwarr ...

and Koh-i-Murdaar in northern and central Balochistan, and surrounding parts of southeastern

. The largest compact block is the

Ziarat Juniper Forest The Ziarat Juniper Forest is a juniper forest in Ziarat, Balochistan, Pakistan. Geography These forests are spread around mountainous area of Ziarat and Mount Zarghoon. The mountains range from 1,181 to 3,488 meters elevation. The forests cover ...

near

Ziarat Ziarat (Urdu and ps, ) is a city in the Ziarat District situated in the Balochistan. It is from the capital city of Eastern Balochistan Quetta. It was established as a district on 1st July 1986, before then it was part of Sibi district. Th ...

on an approximate range of about . The southernmost population of ''J. seravschanica'' is in the

, where the junipers grow in the highest portions of the central range. The junipers form open woodlands at elevations of , sometimes co-dominant with ''

Olea europaea The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

''.

Conservation

Overgrazing by camels, goats and feral donkeys has impeded regeneration of woodlands at altitudes below 2,400 m in Oman.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q38224022, from2=Q6313677 seravschanica Flora of Afghanistan Flora of Iran Flora of Kazakhstan Flora of Kyrgyzstan Flora of Oman Flora of Pakistan Flora of Tajikistan Flora of Turkmenistan Flora of Uzbekistan Plants described in 1932