Juniperus formosana

Hayata 1908

Common names

Formosan juniper, prickly cypress (Vidakovic 1991).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Juniperus taxifolia Parl. in Candolle 1868 non Hook. et Arn. 1838; J. mairei Lemée et Lev. 1914; J. formosana var. mairei (Lemée et Lev.) R.P. Adams et C.F. Hsieh 2002; J. formosana var. concolor Hayata 1918; J. formosana var. sinica Nakai 1938; J. chekiangensis Nakai 1938. One infraspecific taxon, Juniperus formosana var. formosana f. tenella Hand.-Mazz. 1929 (Farjon 2005).

Description

"A tree up to 15 (25) m high, often with several stems. Bark brown, fibrous, exfoliating in strips. Crown conical. Branches spreading or directed upwards. Branchlets pendulous. Foliage needle-like, in whorls of 3, 12-15 mm long, about 2 mm wide, with 2 white stomata bands above. Fruit orange to dark red-brown, globose to broadly ovate, 8 mm across, with 3 furrows at the top, in each fruit 3 oblong-ovate, triangular seeds" (Vidakovic 1991). See García Esteban et al. (2004) for a detailed characterization of the wood anatomy.

Distribution and Ecology

China, Taiwan: As low as 1900, usually 2500-3600 m. Yushania forest, mixed conifer-broadleeaf forest, and above treeline. 120°44'41"E to 121°38'21"E, by 22°36'41"N to 24°28'03"N. Includes Sheipa, Taroko and Yushan National Parks (HAST 1999). Var. concolor collected from Taiwan, "Hualien Xian: Taroko National Park: Yenhai Forest Road. Exposed windy mountain summit, facing a valley. Overall vegetation: dwarf shrubs and herbs. Plants sprawling. Elevation:1070-1130 m" (HAST 1999).

Hardy to Zone 8 (cold hardiness limit between -12.1°C and -6.7°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

Shei-Pa, Taroko and Yushan National Parks look like good places to see it.

Remarks

Citations

Herbarium of the Research Center For Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Taipei [HAST]. 1999. Database output at http://www2.sinica.edu.tw:8080/hast/eindex.html, accessed 1999.03.15, now defunct.

TROPICOS - Flora of China Checklist, formerly at http://mobot.mobot.org/cgi-bin/search_pick, accessed 1998.11.02, now defunct.

See also

Elwes and Henry 1906-1913 at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. This series of volumes, privately printed, provides some of the most engaging descriptions of conifers ever published. Although they only treat species cultivated in the U.K. and Ireland, and the taxonomy is a bit dated, still these accounts are thorough, treating such topics as species description, range, varieties, exceptionally old or tall specimens, remarkable trees, and cultivation. Despite being over a century old, they are generally accurate, and are illustrated with some remarkable photographs and lithographs.

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.

Huang 1994 (the Flora of Taiwan).