Scientific name: Juniperus Sabina Linnaeus 1753

Synonyms: Juniperus alpina Lodd., Juniperus excelsa Willd., Juniperus humilis Salisb., Juniperus lusitanica Mill., Juniperus officinalis Garcke, Juniperus tamariscifolia K.Koch, Sabina alpestris Jord., Sabina cupressifolia Antoine ex K.Koch, Sabina officinalis Garcke, Sabina tamariscifolia K.Koch, Sabina villarsii Jord., Sabina vulgaris Antoine

Common names: Savin, Savin juniper

Description

Spreading or upright shrub, rarely treelike to 5(-12) m tall, with trunk to 0.3(-1) m. Bark reddish brown, fibrous, peeling in strips. Crown broad and flat, with spreading branches, upturned at the tips. Branchlets upright, four-angled, 0.6-1 mm thick with an unpleasant, pungent odor when bruised. Needlelike juvenile leaves sometimes appearing on adult plants. Adult leaves in alternating pairs, scalelike, 1-1.3 mm long, dark to light green, with a prominent oblong resin gland, the edges smooth, the triangular tip pressed against the twig. Pollen and seed cones on separate plants. Pollen cones single at the tips of branchlets, much elongated, 3-5 mm long, with about five pairs or trios of pollen scales. Seed cones single at the tips of short, curved branchlets, spherical or slightly broader than long, 4-6(-8) mm long, bluish black with a thin waxy coating, maturing in 1-2 years. Seeds (one or) two (to four), 3-5 mm long, yellowish brown, the paler attachment seed just at the base.

Widely but discontinuously distributed across south-central Eurasia from Spain and Algeria to northwestern China. Dry rocky slopes of mountains and steppes; (700-)1,100-3,350 m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

This is one of the most widespread conifer species in the world, with a broad distribution in southern and eastern parts of Europe, occurring in habitats such as alpine-subalpine meadows with rocky outcrops and steppes or semi-deserts, that are not under serious environmental pressures globally. Although assessed as threatened in parts of Europe, it is considered Least Concern. In montane to subalpine coniferous forests of Larix, Picea and Pinus, gradually replacing these where under human-imposed grazing regimes; also invading into alpine meadows when old grazing patterns are changed, e.g. intensified. In Central Asian mountains it occurs on south-facing slopes in mountain pastures in a characteristic pattern of rounded patches, often mixed with Juniperus pseudosabina. This species is most abundant on sunny, dry slopes in mountains with a mesic climate like the Alps; its drought tolerance accounts for its wider distribution in Asia into the Artemisia steppe and desert zones (var. arenaria). It is often found on limestone substrates but occurs on granitic rock as well, especially on drier slopes. No specific threats have been identified for this species. The decumbent shrub form has long been in cultivation in Europe and is relatively common; several cultivars (some with fastigiate growth habit) have been named. Its cultivation is often more or less restricted to countries where it is also native and where growers have experimented with this stock to produce cultivars; in other countries forms of the similar species J. chinensis seem to prevail. Some of the cultivars of Juniperus sabina retain juvenile type (needle) leaves, most have predominantly or exclusively scale leaves in mature plants. Forms with needle leaves also occur in nature, so selection of this trait for horticulture is very easy where this variety (var. davurica) is available. The wood is of little value, but was traditionally used in the Alps to make walking sticks. Oil is distilled from branches and foliage and used for medicinal purposes; it has powerful diuretic properties. This species is recorded from many protected areas across its range. It is listed as Endangered in the national Red List of Bulgaria (Petrova and Vladimirov 2009), Vulnerable in Germany (Ludwig and Schnittler 1996) and Least Concern in Switzerland (Moser et al. 2002).

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland