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Utah Juniper - Juniperus osteosperma
Native Species
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S4
(see State Rank Reason below)
C-value:
6
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Juniperus osteosperma is restricted in range in Montana though it is locally common in parts of the Bighorn Basin in Carbon and Big Horn Counties where the species reaches its northern range extent. No significant and widespread threats to the species are known.
General Description
Erect shrub or small tree up to 6 m with stringy, grey-brown bark and spreading or ascending branches. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, scale-like, 1–2 mm long, yellowish with denticulate margins; juvenile leaves needle-like, 3–5 mm long. Seed cones maturing in 1 to 2 years, 1-seeded, blue-brown, 6–8 mm long (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Big Horn and Carbon counties; MT and WY south to CA, AZ, and NM (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 231
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Limestone or calcareous sandstone outcrops, slopes and ridges; valleys to montane (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Forest and Woodland
Low Elevation - Xeric Forest and Woodland
Stewardship Responsibility
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agriculture Handbook No. 541. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 375 pp.- Quire, R.L. 2013. The sagebrush steppe of Montana and southeastern Idaho shows evidence of high native plant diversity, stability, and resistance to the detrimental effects of nonnative plant species. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 124 p.
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