''Juniperus sabina'', the savin juniper or savin, is a species of juniper 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 area, and is usually highe ...

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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 are ...

, 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 region, 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 ...

, 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 is very variable in shape, up to tall. The leaves 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 with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. 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 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 poisonous 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''.

Varieties

There are two

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), ...

, 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 ''Juniperus chinensis'', the Chinese juniper (圆柏, 桧) is a species of plant in the cypress family (botany), family Cupressaceae, native species, native to China, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and the Russian Far East. Growing tall, it is a very va ...

'' 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, 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 ...

. 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 bot ...

s and parks, 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 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 Sabina may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Sabina (region), region and place in Italy, and hence: * the now Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina (-Poggio Mirteto), Italy * Magliano Sabina, city, Italy * Pozzaglia Sabina, city, Italy *Fara Sab ...

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