Juniperus FOETIDISSIMA

Juniperus FOETIDISSIMA - Stinking juniper, Foetid juniper, Juniperus PHOENICEA, Phoenicean juniper.

Juniper is a genus of evergreen plants in the cypress family (Cupressaceae), growing in the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and North America. In nature, the plant is found in mixed and pine forest belts, mountain slopes, or pastures. The genus comprises about 70 species growing in the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic to tropical mountains. The average lifespan reaches 300 years.

These are evergreen coniferous dioecious or monoecious trees up to 10-15 m (33-49 ft) tall. Junipers are characterized by cone-shaped crowns. The foliage is scale-like, pointed, and needle-like. Pollination occurs in March-April, and seeds mature in the autumn of the following year.

At 4-5 years of age, the plant begins to bear fruit. The juniper produces scarlet-black berry-like cones up to 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter with a glaucous sheen. Initially, small scales appear at the tips of lateral branches. A year later, they turn into green cones, then into dark-colored fruits with a glaucous bloom. Each contains up to 10 seeds, which are dispersed by birds.

Stinking juniper is a low-growing evergreen shrub with a spreading crown of irregular shape. The branches are long and slender, with grayish-blue or grayish-green needle foliage. The flowers outwardly resemble spikelets. The fruits are glaucous-blue cones emitting a coniferous aroma.

The plant lives up to 600 years. It grows on dry clay-gravel soils and on rocks, ascending into mountains across the Balkan Peninsula, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and Minor and Central Asia. There is also an isolated population on the northern slopes among the beech forests of the Crimean Peninsula.

Seeds are relatively large, about 5-6 mm (0.20-0.24 in), oblong, dark brown, situated in fleshy berry-like cones.

To enhance germination, preliminary scarification is required, altering the hard seed coat and increasing the likelihood of uniform germination, followed by prolonged cold stratification. Seeds are carefully slightly filed and placed in a container with a stimulant solution at room temperature for 12-24 hours, or immersed for 30 seconds in hot (80-90 °C [176-194 °F]) water, after which they are stratified. For this, the seeds are placed in a moist mixture of sand and peat or rubbed with ash, and kept for 2-3 months at 2-5 °C (36-41 °F) (on the lower shelf of a refrigerator).

Seeds are sown in containers with loose substrate to a depth of 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in), moistened with a spray bottle, placed in a greenhouse or covered with film, and germinated in dim light, not in the sun, at a temperature of 20-27 °C (68-81 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. It is essential to avoid waterlogging and drying out of the sowings.

Seedlings emerge in 2-4 months; the minimum period is about 6 weeks, and the maximum possible reaches one year. After germination, the cover is removed gradually. Pricking out is carried out after the appearance of the first pair of true needles. Young plants are kept under conditions of moderate humidity without waterlogging and gradually acclimated to brighter lighting.

Seedlings at 4 years of age can be planted in open ground. Transplanting is carried out in spring in cool weather. The root ball must remain intact on the roots. Juniper should preferably be planted in sandy, calcareous, moist, and well-aerated soils. A distance of 1 m (3.3 ft) should be kept between seedlings.

Sowing in open ground is carried out in October. The seed is placed in a pre-prepared hole in the soil with a well-compacted base no deeper than 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in), covered with humus, and mulched with sawdust or peat, which promotes additional moisture retention in the soil and faster germination.

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Juniper prefers bright sunlight; in partial shade, it develops more weakly and loses the ornamental quality of its crown. In open ground, the brightest possible location is chosen. Indoors during temporary keeping, light shading from the midday sun is permissible. Best results are achieved in light, drained, calcareous or sandy-rocky soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

During the warm season, juniper tolerates heat and drought well; watering is carried out moderately, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Stagnation of water is eliminated. In winter, the plant withstands significant temperature drops, but young specimens are recommended to be lightly sheltered in severe frosts. Optimal repotting is in early spring, with the root collar left above the soil level.

Fertilizer is applied once in spring using coniferous fertilizers with low nitrogen content. Frequent transplanting is not required, as the plant tolerates disturbance of the root system poorly. Shaping is kept to a minimum, restricted to sanitary pruning of dry or damaged branches. Propagation is carried out by seeds or rooting of individual shoots.