''Juniperus sabina'', the savin juniper or savin, 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 ...

native to the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

s of central and southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and western and central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

to eastern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

, typically growing at altitudes of .Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Adams, R. P. (2004). ''Junipers of the World''. Trafford.

Description

The

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

is very variable in shape, up to tall. 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 of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves long, and adult scale-leaves 1–2 mm long on slender shoots 0.8–1 mm thick. Juvenile leaves are found mainly on seedlings but mature shrubs sometimes continue to bare some juvenile leaves as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown. It 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 ...

with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. The cones are berry-like, 5–9 mm in diameter, blue-black with a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 1-3 (rarely 4 or 5)

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; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2–4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring. All parts of the plant are

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ous due to several toxic compounds including ethereal oils.Plants for a Future
''Juniperus sabina''
/ref> This plant is the alternate (telial) host of the Pear Rust fungus ''

Gymnosporangium fuscum ''Gymnosporangium sabinae'' (also ''Gymnosporangium fuscum'' and other names) (pear rust, European pear rust, or pear trellis rust) is a fungal heteroecious plant pathogen with ''Juniperus'' (juniper trees and shrubs) as the primary ( telial) ho ...

''.

Varieties

There are two varieties, treated by some botanists as distinct species: *''Juniperus sabina'' var. ''sabina''. Juvenile foliage rare in adult plants. *''Juniperus sabina'' var. ''davurica'' (Pallas) Farjon (syn. ''J. davurica'' Pallas). Juvenile foliage frequent in adult plants. The

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 ...

between '' Juniperus chinensis'' and ''Juniperus sabina'', known as ''Juniperus × pfitzeriana'' (Pfitzer juniper, synonym ''J. × media''), is found in the wild where the two species meet in northwestern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and is also very common as a cultivated

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

. It is a larger shrub, growing to 30–60 cm tall.

Uses

''Juniperus sabina'' is a popular ornamental shrub in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s and

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

s, with numerous named

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s selected. Savin was used in

abortifacient An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: ''abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...

drugs in 19th-century America.

Gallery

Image:Juniperus_sabina_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-212.jpg, 19th century illustration Image:Juniperusxpfitzeriana(01).jpg, ''Juniperus × pfitzeriana''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q148630 sabina Flora of Europe Trees of Central Asia Flora of Western Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Least concern plants Dioecious plants

Description

Varieties

Uses

Gallery

See also

References