Juniperus deppeana
| Juniperus deppeana | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 59' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Winter-Early Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Juniperus deppeana (common name: aligator juniper)
Propagation: The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[1][2]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[3]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[4].
Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[4][1].
Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[3]. Requires a hot dry position in full sun[5]. Does well on lime[5].
A slow-growing but long-lived tree[6], it grows better in dry areas with hot summers[5]. Western Britain is generally to cool and wet for this species to thrive[5].
Trees often produce vigorous shoots from the base of the trunk, or from the stumps of felled trees[7].
The seed takes two summers to ripen[6].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: South-western N. America - Texas, Arizona and Mexico.
Habitat: Open oak or pine woodlands[6] on dry, arid mountain slopes, 1200 - 1800 metres[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[8][9][10]. A dry and mealy texture[7][11] but with a sweet and palatable taste[12][11]. The fruit can also be dried, ground into a meal and prepared as a mush or cakes[13][14][10]. The fruit has a sweetish palatable pulp and is about 15mm in diameter[10]. The cones take 2 years to mature[5].
Usage: Wood - light, soft, not strong, brittle, close grained[7]. Although easily worked, it is of limited value as lumber and is used mainly for fence posts and fuel[6].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: J. pachyphlaea. J. deppeana pachyphlaea. (Torr.)Martinez.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pesman, M. Meet Flora Mexicana. Dale S King, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.