Juniperus oxycedrus
| Juniperus oxycedrus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 49' |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Juniperus oxycedrus (common name: prickly 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[4][3] and succeeding on chalk[5]. A drought tolerant plant once established, succeeding in hot dry positions[5].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat: Dry hills, sandy and rocky places[6].
Medicinal: The plant yields the essential oil 'Oil of Cade' by destructive distillation of the wood[7]. It is used externally in the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis and chronic eczema[7]. It is a good parasiticide in cases of psora and favus[7].
Antiseptic[8].
Usage: An oil distilled from the heartwood is used medicinally and as a parasiticide. It is also used as an immersion oil in microscope work[8].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
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 4.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.