Juniperus virginiana is a dense slow-growing
tree that may never become more than a bush on poor soil, but is
ordinarily from 5–20 m/16–66 ft (rarely to 27 m/89 ft)
tall, with a short trunk 30–100 cm/12–39 in (rarely 170
cm/67 in) diameter. The oldest tree reported, from Missouri, was
795 years old. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in
narrow strips. The leaves are of two types; sharp, spreading
needle-like juvenile leaves 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long,
and tightly adpressed scale-like adult leaves 2–4 mm
(0.079–0.16 in) long; they are arranged in opposite decussate
pairs or occasionally whorls of three. The juvenile leaves are
found on young plants up to 3 years old, and as scattered shoots on
adult trees, usually in shade. The seed cones are 3–7 cm
(1.2–2.8 in) long, berry-like with fleshy scales, dark
purple-blue with a white wax cover giving an overall sky-blue color
(though the wax often rubs off); they contain one or two (rarely up
to four) seeds, and are mature in 6–8 months from
pollination. They are an important winter food for many birds,
which disperse the wingless seeds. The pollen cones are 2–3
mm (0.079–0.12 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) broad, shedding
pollen in late winter or early spring. The trees are usually
dioecious, with pollen and seed cones on separate
trees.
Have fun, Be safe,
and BYOP.
There is a number on the cover and on the log
sheet. You may want to write it down for the final exam
Grey Wolf's Stamp of
Approval.
This cache may be located in a public park
with posted hours. It is your responsibility to be aware of and
adhere to any hours of operation. Logs indicating caching outside
of those hours will be deleted.