Herb: Flaky Juniper


Latin name: Juniperus squamata


Synonyms: Juniperus recurva squamata


Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress Family)



Medicinal use of Flaky Juniper:

The powdered plant is soaked for half an hour in water and then used for washing skin diseases.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
4 m
(13 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Inner valleys of the Himalayas, 3000 - 4500 metres from Afghanistan to S.W. China. Forests, thickets, valleys and roadsides in mountain areas from 1600 - 4500 metres.

Other uses of Flaky Juniper:

The cultivar "Blue Carpet" can be used as a ground cover plant in a sunny position. The wood is very fragrant, it is used as a fuel and an incense. The leaves are used as incense.

Propagation of the herb:

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed "green" (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months.

Cultivation of Flaky Juniper:

Inner valleys of the Himalayas, 3000 - 4500 metres from Afghanistan to S.W. China. Forests, thickets, valleys and roadsides in mountain areas from 1600 - 4500 metres.

Known hazards of Juniperus squamata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.