We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Juniperus excelsa - M. Bieb.

Common Name Grecian Juniper
Family Cupressaceae
USDA hardiness 5-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Inner dry ranges of the Himalayas, 1500 - 4200 metres[146], from Nepal to Afghanistan.
Range S. Europe to E. Asia.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Juniperus excelsa Grecian Juniper


Juniperus excelsa Grecian Juniper

 

Translate this page:

Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Juniperus excelsa is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

J. macropoda. Boiss.

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit
Edible Uses:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A liquid is obtained from the fruit[146] (used for drinking?).The cones are about 7 - 12mm in diameter and take 2 years to mature[200].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Miscellany

The smoke from the branches is used in India to treat the delirium of fevers[240].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

Other Uses

Fuel  Incense  Miscellany  Roofing  Wood

The bark is used for roofing[146]. Wood - moderately hard, close and even grained, fragrant, good quality. Used for construction, fuel and it is also burnt as an incense[1, 146, 158]. The crushed foliage emits a warm resinous scent[185].

Special Uses

Food Forest  Scented Plants

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Succeeds in dry soils. Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained, preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[11] and succeeding on chalk[200]. Plants are tender when young, they require a sheltered position[1]. The crushed foliage emits a warm resinous scent[185]. Plants are usually dioecious though sometimes they are monoecious[11]. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is flat with shallow roots spreading near the soil surface [2-1].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

Plant 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[78, 81]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[11]. 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[1]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[1, 78]. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[78].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Oman, Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation (Krasnodar), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan TROPICAL ASIA: India (northwest), Pakistan EUROPE: Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Juniperus asheiAshe Juniper, Mountain CedarTree6.0 7-9 SLMHNDM102
Juniperus californicaCalifornian Juniper, ChuperosaTree12.0 8-10 SLMHNDM212
Juniperus chinensisChinese Juniper, Sargent juniperTree15.0 4-10 SLMHNDM023
Juniperus communisJuniper, Common juniperShrub9.0 4-10 SLMHSNDM334
Juniperus communis nanaJuniperShrub0.5 4-10 SLMHSNDM334
Juniperus confertaShore JuniperShrub0.2 6-10 SLMHSNDM203
Juniperus deppeanaAlligator JuniperTree18.0 7-9 SLMHNDM302
Juniperus drupaceaSyrian JuniperTree15.0 6-9 MLMHNDM30 
Juniperus horizontalisCreeping Juniper, Horizontal JuniperShrub1.0 4-9 MLMHNDM213
Juniperus monospermaOne-Seed JuniperTree18.0 4-8 MLMHNDM323
Juniperus occidentalisWestern JuniperTree18.0 4-8 SLMHNDM323
Juniperus osteospermaDesert Juniper, Utah juniperTree12.0 4-8 SLMHNDM223
Juniperus oxycedrusPrickly Juniper, Cade juniperTree15.0 8-10 MLMHNDM012
Juniperus recurvaHimalayan JuniperTree12.0 6-9 SLMHNM111
Juniperus rigidaTemple Juniper, Needle JuniperTree8.0 6-7 SLMHNDM213
Juniperus sabinaSavine, Tam JuniperShrub4.0 4-7 SLMHNDM024
Juniperus scopulorumRocky Mountain Juniper, Weeping Rocky Mountian Juniper, Colorado Red CedarTree10.0 3-7 SLMHNDM324
Juniperus silicicolaSouthern Redcedar, Juniper, Southern Red CedarTree20.0 7-10 SLMHNDM223
Juniperus squamataFlaky JuniperShrub4.0 4-7 SLMHNDM013
Juniperus tetragona Tree0.0 7-10  LMHNDM202
Juniperus virginianaPencil Cedar, Eastern redcedar, Southern redcedar, Silver Cedar, Burk Eastern Red Cedar, Silver EastTree20.0 3-9 SLMHNDM224

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

M. Bieb.

Botanical References

11146200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Christian Akhrass   Wed Jun 8 06:49:32 2005

hello,when i entered this site i was very pleased,here in Lebanon we do have have many mountains covered by this speicies,from an altitude of 1200m,(rare below) and arriving to 2750m and may arrive higher(highest mountain is "qornet el sawda" 3088m)in the northern part of the country so i always go treking in winter and summer between those trees to smell their scent and to admire the enormous trunks (6 - 12m), photos and desciptions are available so i wood like to know better on the spicies we have in our contry also to make more contacts

regards,Christian

Mohammad Yahya Musakhel   Wed Jun 7 2006

Dear Sir/ Madam I worked on Juniper in the 2nd largest Juniper Tract Ziarat Balochistan especially on conservation and also prepare the Research Papr i want to Publish. the topic is EFFECTS OF FUEL EFFICIENT STOVES ON JUNIPER ECOSYSTEM, PLEASE HELP ME AND GUIDE ME

Mohammad Saeed   Mon Aug 7 2006

Dear Mohammad! Balochistan University of Information Technology & Management Sciences has its reaseach Journal (Journal of Applied & emerging Sciences)thats being published every 6 months. We encourage the young scientists especially from Balochistan to write scholarly articles for our journal Please send your manuscrip to [email protected]. as an attachemnt. Regards Mohammad Saeed

Christian Akhrass   Sat Apr 12 2008

The millenium trees of Lebanon - a brief description. Scattered on all the northern part of the Western Mountain Chain of Lebanon a part of this chain also called Mount Lebanon and in some parts of the Eastern Mountain Chain as well called the Anti-Lebanon, the Juniperus Excelsa M Bieb tree is growing on both eastern and western slopes of these mountain ranges, at an altitude variying between 800m(Nahr Ibrahim/Qartaba) and 2800(Makmel Mountain Chain). It is one of three kinds of Juniperus species found on the Mediterranean basin, we can find as wel as the J.Excelsa, J.Procera and J.Thurifera. In Lebanon these tree has a very common name by villagers called "Lizzab", their wood are every appreciated by local comunities, and it is also mutilated and cut in a bad way,these kinds of acts can occur in a large degradation of this tree in the next sevaral years to come. Several hundred of these trees along these mountains are very old,some trunks circomferences can reach between 13-16m (Afka-Hermel...) Some can reach 24-26m in height(el Qilli forest/Akkar). The Juniperus Excelsa tree extends on a large landscape forming big and small taxons on a different areas and altitude and in some areas with Cedar trees(Cedrus Libani), Fir trees (Abies Cilicica) and another two kinds of Juniper trees, without forgetting the different kinds of Oak trees. This tree must be protected by law as quick as possible for the next generations to come. Christian Akhrass

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Juniperus excelsa  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.