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November 14, 2005 : Juniperus horizontalis
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Keywords: Cupressaceae | Juniperus horizontalis Moench | seed accession 1419
The collections of UBC Botanical Garden are not limited to living plant material. The garden also has a small number of seeds and cones collected by some of the university's early botanists (and former garden directors) and their correspondents. One of these correspondents was Miss Neville, who either lived or travelled near Carcross, Yukon (considering the size of Carcross, I'd presume travelled) in 1927.
The “berries” are not true berries in the botanical sense, but rather seed cones that are described as “berry-like” (Juniperus in the Flora of North America). Along with popular use in ornamental landscapes (though some would say overused), junipers have another important economic aspect – the berry-like seed cones of Juniperus communis are used in the distillation of gin, and are responsible for the distinctive gin flavour.
Photography resource link: Jef Maion's (aka Nomads' Land Photography) images of the taiga, or northern temperate forest in Eurasia. Great pic of cotton grass (Eriophorum sp.) on the first page.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 14, 2005 12:00 AM
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Posted by: Anthony at November 14, 2005 1:41 AM
Good question, Anthony. Juniper cones do indeed look like berries, and are often called by that name. But the resemblance to a berry is only superficial. A close examination of a juniper "berry" reveals that it is actually composed of fused cone scales. Instead of being woody, like other cones of other cypress family members, the cone scales of a juniper are fleshy, further reinforcing the notion of a berry. Of course, the word "cone" is somewhat misleading in this case, as juniper cones aren't cone shaped!
Matt
Posted by: Matt at November 14, 2005 8:38 AM
Some more pics of Juniperus cones, some of which show the scales more obviously:
Posted by: Michael F at November 14, 2005 10:20 AM
Thanks Michael, that is a great web page, with a variety of good illustrations of Matt's explanation.
Posted by: Anthony at November 14, 2005 12:01 PM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
What is it that makes these cones? Instead of berries or some other kind of fruit? Don't cones have to have scales?