Redberry Juniper

redberry juniper
rose-fruited juniper

More info for the terms: seed, shrub, tree

Redberry juniper is a native, evergreen, small tree or large shrub.
Mature height usually ranges from 12 to 15 feet (3.6-4.5 m), with
spreading and ascending branches forming an open, irregular crown.  The
ovulate cones contain one seed [15].  The bark is shreddy, but but is
formed close to the trunk.  Redberry juniper tends to have a central
erect stem with lower branches originating near the ground level [5].

Redberry juniper occurs in disjunct populations from western Texas
(Trans-Pecos), southwestern New Mexico, and southern Arizona south to
San Luis Potosi, Mexico [10,14].

More info for the terms: fire regime, shrubs

Redberry juniper occurs on juniper savannas, which are kept open by
fire.  Fires in these habitats tend to be surface fires carried by
grasses, which burn so rapidly that heat levels lethal to large redberry
juniper are rarely generated [7].  Fire-free intervals of 10 years or
more are usually sufficient to allow juniper (Juniperus spp.) saplings
to reach fire-resistant size:  about 3 to 6 feet (1-2 m) [22].  Redberry
juniper occurs in evergreen oak woodlands [11] which experience rapidly
burning grass fires approximately every 10 to 20 years [22].

In some areas, junipers (probably including redberry juniper) are
encroaching on grasslands that were historically kept clear of trees and
shrubs by very frequent fires.  Climatic changes and intensive livestock
grazing have also been implicated in this encroachment [7].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

  
Phanerophyte

In Trans-Pecos Texas junipers are most common on rocky or poor soils
[14].  Redberry juniper occurs most often on dry, well-drained soils in
full sun [19].  It occurs at elevations of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to 6,500
feet (2,000 m) through its range [1,16].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

    66  Ashe - redberry (Pinchot) juniper
   239  Pinyon - juniper
   241  Western live oak

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES40  Desert grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: shrub, woodland

   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K031  Oak - juniper woodlands
   K058  Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
   K059  Trans-Pecos shrub savanna

Specific information in the immediate effect of fire on redberry juniper
is lacking in the literature.

The fleshy, berry-like cones of redberry juniper are eaten by at least
four species of songbirds, Gambel's quail, coyotes, foxes, raccoons,
rock squirrels, Hopi chipmunks, and probably other birds and mammals [14,21].

More info for the terms: codominant, shrub

In the Southwest junipers (Juniperus spp.) are associated with oaks
(Quercus spp.) and true pinyon (Pinus edulis).  Junipers increase in
dominance over oaks and pinyons on dry sites [14].  Redberry juniper is
common in alligator juniper (J. deppeana)-pinyon woodlands and savannas,
and in areas where its range overlaps with Utah juniper (J.
osteosperma), oneseed juniper (J. monosperma), and Rocky Mountain
juniper (J. scopulorum) [8].  It occurs in evergreen oak woodlands with
Emory oak (Q. emoryi) and Mexican blue oak (Q. oblongifolia) [11].
Redberry juniper is also found in Arizona chaparral woodlands with shrub
live oak (Q. turbinella) and Arizona rosewood (Vauquelinia californica)
[20].  It occurs as scattered individuals in grama (Bouteloua spp.)
grasslands, along with scattered velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina),
Mexican blue oak, and alligator juniper [14].

A publication listing redberry juniper as a codominant species is as
follows:

Classification of pinyon-juniper (p-j) sites on National Forests in the
   Southwest [12]

More info for the terms: shrub, tree

Tree, Shrub

     AZ  NM  TX  MEXICO

Juniper bark was used by Native Americans to make mats, saddles, and
other items.  They also used the seeds for beads or ground the fleshy
cones for flour [14,21].

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Redberry juniper is pollinated in late fall, and the ovulate cones
mature in late spring [5].  Most juniper seeds germinate in spring [7].

More info for the terms: root crown, secondary colonizer, tree

   Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: seed, top-kill

Redberry juniper reproduces by seed.  Further information specific to
reproduction in redberry juniper is not available.  Pinchot juniper is
one of the few juniper species known to sprout after top-kill, and it is
closely related to redberry juniper.  In most junipers germination may
be delayed up to 2 years through embryo dormancy, seedcoat
impermeability, or chemical inhibitors.  Juniper seedling establishment
is enhanced by light shade, which helps maintain adequate moisture [7].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    7  Lower Basin and Range
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont

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Facultative Seral Species

Redberry juniper is intolerant of shade [7].  Junipers often invade
grasslands and are gradually replaced by pinyons [7].

Juniperus erythrocarpa var. coahuilensis Martinez [23]
Juniperus texensis Van Melle [25]

More info for the term: hybrid swarm

The currently accepted scientific name for redberry juniper is Juniperus coahuilensis
(Martinez) Gaussen [10,26,27]. Confusion about the correct name for this entity arose
over its morphological resemblance to oneseed juniper (J. monosperma) and over its red
cones, which resemble those of Pinchot juniper (J. pinchottii). Redberry juniper
intergrades with Pinchot juniper in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, where their
ranges overlap. There is a probable hybrid swarm in the Basin of the Chisos Mountains,
Texas [1,14]. Zanoni and Adams [24] determined that redberry juniper and Pinchot
juniper are the most closely related junipers based on similarity of leaf oil
terpenoids and other characters.

More info for the term: fuel

Redberry juniper wood is used locally for posts and fuel [21].