Canary Islands juniper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Canary Islands juniper |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Juniperus
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| Species: |
cedrus
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The Juniperus cedrus, also known as the Canary Islands juniper, is a special type of juniper tree. It grows naturally on some western Canary Islands like Tenerife, La Palma, Gran Canaria, and Gomera. You can also find it on the island of Madeira. These trees usually grow high up in the mountains, from 500 to 2400 meters (about 1,600 to 7,900 feet) above sea level. It is a close relative of other junipers found in the Mediterranean region.
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About the Canary Islands Juniper
This tree can be a large shrub or a tall tree. It often grows to be 5 to 20 meters (about 16 to 65 feet) tall. Sometimes, it can even reach 25 meters (about 82 feet)! Its leaves are evergreen, which means they stay green all year long. They are shaped like needles and grow in groups of three. The leaves are green or a bit blue-green.
What It Looks Like
The needle-like leaves are about 8 to 23 millimeters (0.3 to 0.9 inches) long. They are also about 1 to 2 millimeters (0.04 to 0.08 inches) wide. On the inside, they have a double white stripe.
Most Canary Islands junipers are dioecious. This means that a single tree will have either male flowers or female flowers, but not both. The male and female flowers grow on separate plants.
The seed cones look like small berries. They start green and take about 18 months to ripen. When they are ready, they turn orange-red and might have a pink, waxy coating. These cones are round and about 8 to 15 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) wide. They have six scales that are joined together. Each of the three larger scales holds a single seed.
How Seeds Spread
Birds help spread the seeds of the Canary Islands juniper. They eat the cones, digest the soft, fleshy parts, and then pass the hard seeds in their droppings. This helps new juniper trees grow in different places. The male cones are yellow and small, about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) long. They release their pollen in February or March and then fall off the tree.
Protecting This Tree
The Canary Islands juniper is an endangered tree. This means it is at risk of disappearing from its natural home. In the past, many of these trees were cut down because their wood was very valuable. Also, too many goats eating the young plants (called overgrazing) hurt the populations.
Since 1953, this tree has been fully protected by law. Because of this protection, the number of trees is slowly starting to grow again. Old stories say that some trees used to be as tall as 30 meters (about 98 feet). Today, trees taller than 10 meters (about 33 feet) are very rare. You can usually only find them growing on cliffs that are hard to reach.
Growing Canary Islands Juniper
Sometimes, people grow the Canary Islands juniper as an ornamental tree. This means it is grown for its beauty in gardens or parks. It grows well in places with warm weather, like New Zealand, the British Isles, and California. However, it is not very common in gardens.
There are also some small test plantations on the Canary Islands. In these special growing areas, the trees have shown that they can grow very quickly when conditions are good. Some have reached about 14 to 15 meters (about 46 to 49 feet) tall in just 40 years!
See also
In Spanish: Cedro de Canarias para niños
