Tree Description:
A medium or large tree to 50 feet tall with a short, thick trunk to 3 feet in diameter, and a conical crown of blue-green foliage.
Range/Site Description:
In the mountains of West Texas at elevations above 4,000 feet, usually found on soils of volcanic origin, except for the Guadalupe Mountains. Often mixed with gray oak and pinyon pine as part of the Oak-Pinyon-Juniper plant association.
Leaf:
Scale-like leaves, medium green with a bluish waxy coating, sometimes giving the foliage a silvery or gray tint.
Flower:
Male and female cones on separate trees; male conelets fleshy, at the tips of branchlets, female cones oval.
Fruit:
A fleshy, berry-like cone, 0.25" to 0.5" long, dark reddish-brown, maturing in two years. Favored by a variety of wildlife species.
Bark:
Reddish brown and smooth on young stems, breaking into gray scales and then thicker plates that develop into a checkerboard of rectangular blocks divided by the narrow, deep fissures that resemble the skin on an alligator, thus providing its common name. Very distinctive.
Wood:
Used for firewood and fenceposts. Propagated as a landscape tree for its attractive bark and foliage.
Similar Species:
Drooping juniper (Juniperus flaccida) occurs only at very high elevations in the Chisos Mountains and has drooping, green foliage.
Interesting Facts:
Leaves are used as a home remedy in Mexico for rheumatism.
