General Landscape Uses:
Primarily used as a specimen tree. Can be used as a tall hedge for screening or as a windbreak.
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available in Lake Worth at
Indian Trails Native Nursery (561-641-9488) and in Sarasota at
Florida Native Plants Nursery (941-322-1915).
Description: Medium evergreen tree with a densely foliated conical crown. Very low branching. Short bristly needles and profuse bluish berrylike female cones. Bark is reddish brown and exfoliates in shaggy strips.
Dimensions: Typically 20 to 60 feet in height.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Eastern half of the United States south to Brevard, Lee, Hendry, and Dade counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Hammocks, coastal beaches, shell mounds.
Soils: Highly tolerant of alkaline soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Blueish or yellowish cone.
Flower Characteristics: Dioecious gymnosperm. Blueish berrylike female cones, yellowish male cones.
Flowering Season: Late summer and fall.
Fruit: Cone.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Larval plant for Juniper hairstreak (Mitoura grynea) butterflies.
References: Rogers (
2013), Wunderlin and Hansen 2011
Comments: For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map for
Juniperus silicicola, now placed into synonymy here, visit the
Exploring Florida website. We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
