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JUNIPER
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JUNIPER . The junipers, of which there are twenty-five or more See also:species, are See also:evergreen bushy shrubs or See also:low columnar trees, with a more or less aromatic odour, inhabiting the whole of the See also:cold and temperate See also:northern hemisphere, but attaining their maximum development in the Mediterranean region, the See also:North See also:Atlantic islands, and the eastern See also:United States. The leaves are usually articulated at the See also:base, spreading, See also:sharp-pointed and See also:needle-like in See also:form, destitute of oil-glands, and arranged in alternating whorls of three; but in some the leaves are See also:minute and See also:scale-like, closely adhering to the branches, the See also:apex only being See also:free, and furnished with an oil-gland on the back. Sometimes the same plant produces both kinds of leaves on different branches, or the See also:young See also:plants produce acicular leaves, while those of the older plants are squamiform. The male and See also:female See also:flowers are usually produced on See also:separate plants. The male flowers are See also:developed at the ends of See also:short lateral branches, are rounded or oblong in form, and consist of several antheriferous scales in two or three rows, each scale; bearing three or six almost spherical See also:pollen-sacs on its under See also:side. The female See also:flower is a small bud-like See also:cone situated at the apex of a small See also:branch, and consists of two or three whorls of two or three scales. The scales of the upper or See also:middle See also:series each See also:bear one or two erect ovules. The mature cone is fleshy, with the succulent scales fused together and forming the See also:fruit-like structure known to the older botanists as the galbulus, or See also:berry of the juniper. The berries are red or See also:purple in See also:colour, varying in See also:size from that of a See also:pea to a See also:nut. They thus differ considerably from the cones of other members of the See also:order Coniferae, of See also:Gymnosperms (q.v.), to which the junipers belong. The seeds are usually three in number, sometimes fewer (r), rarely more (8), and have the See also:surface near the middle or base marked with large glands containing oil. The genus, occurs in a fossil See also:state, four species having been described from rocks of See also:Tertiary See also:age. The genus is divided into three sections, Sabina, Oxycedrus and Caryocedrus. Juniperus Sabina is the savin, abundant on the mountains of central See also:Europe, an irregularly spreading much-branched See also:shrub with scale-like glandular leaves, and emitting a disagreeable odour when bruised. The plant is poisonous, acting as a powerful See also:local and See also:general stimulant, diaphoretic, emmenagogue and anthelmintic; it was formerly employed both internally and externally. The oil of savin is now occasionally used criminally as an abortifacient. J. bermudiana, a See also:tree about 40 or 50 ft. in height, yields a fragrant red See also:wood, which was used for the manufacture of " See also:cedar " pencils. The tree is now very scarce in Bermuda, and the " red cedar," J. virginiana, of North See also:America is employed instead for pencils and See also:cigar-boxes. The red cedar is abundant in some parts of the United States and in See also:Virginia is a tree 50 ft. in height. It is very widely distributed from the See also:Great Lakes to See also:Florida and See also:round the Gulf of See also:Mexico, and extends as far See also:west as the Rocky Mountains and beyond to See also:Vancouver See also:Island. The wood is applied to many uses in the United States. The See also:fine red fragrant See also:heart-wood takes a high See also:polish, and is much used in See also:cabinet-See also:work and See also:inlaying, but the small size of the planks prevents its more extended use. The See also:galls produced at the ends of the branches have been used in See also:medicine, and the wood yields cedar-camphor and oil of cedar-wood. J. thurifera is the See also:incense juniper of See also:Spain and See also:Portugal, and J. phoenicea (J. See also:lycia) from the Mediterranean See also:district is stated by Loudon to be burned as incense. J. communis, the See also:common juniper (see fig.), and several other species, belong to the See also:section Oxycedrus. The common juniper is a very widely distributed plant, occurring in the whole of northern Europe, central and northern See also:Asia to See also:Kamchatka, and See also:east and west North America. It grows at considerable elevations in See also:southern Europe, in the See also:Alps, See also:Apennines, See also:Pyrenees and Sierra See also:Nevada (4000 to 8000 ft.). It also grows in Asia See also:Minor, See also:Persia, and at great elevations on the Himalayas. In Great See also:Britain it is usually a shrub with spreading branches, less frequently a low tree. In former times the juniper seems to have been a very well-known plant, the name occurring almost unaltered in many See also:languages. The See also:Lat. juniperus, probably formed from juni—crude form of juvenis, fresh, young, and parere, to produce, ig represented by Fr. genievre, Sp. enebro, Ital. ginepile, &c. The dialectical names, chiefly in See also:European languages, were collected by See also:Prince L. L. See also:Bonaparte, and published in the See also:Academy (See also:July 17, 188o, No. 428, p. 45). The common juniper is See also:official in the See also:British See also:pharmacopoeia and in that of the United States, yielding the oil of juniper, a powerful diuretic, distilled from the unripe fruits. This oil is closely allied in See also:composition to oil of See also:turpentine and is given in doses of a See also:half to three minims. The Spiritus juniperi of the British pharma- 557 copoeia is given in doses up to one drachm. Much safer and more powerful diuretics are now in use. The wood is very aromatic and is used for ornamental purposes. In See also:Lapland the hark is made into See also:ropes. The fruits are used for flavouring See also:gin (a name derived from juniper, through Fr. genievre); and in some parts of See also:France a See also:kind of See also:beer called genevrette was made from them by the peasants. J. Oxycedrus, from the Mediterranean district and See also:Madeira, yields cedar-oil which is official in most of the European pharmacopoeias, but not in that of Britain. This oil is largely used by microscopists in what is known as the " oil-See also:immersion See also:lens." The third section, Caryocedrus, consists of a single species, J. drupacea of Asia Minor. The fruits are large and edible: they are known in the East by the name habhel. (From See also:Bentley and Trimen's Medicinal Plants, by permission of J. & A. See also:Churchill.) Juniper (Juniperus communis). 1. See also:Vertical section of fruit. 2. Male catkin. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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