Juniper - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Juniperus
Juniperus osteosperma in Nevada
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Cupressaceae
Genus:	Juniperus L.

Junipers is the name for a number of species of coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus. They are related to the family Cupressaceae (the cypress). There are between 50 and 67 species of juniper. Junipers grow in the northern hemisphere.

Junipers are evergreen. They vary in size from low shrubs to tall trees, which grow to between twenty and forty metres tall.

The female trees have seed cones. These look like like a berry, and are called juniper berries. They take from six to eighteen months to grow after pollination. They are often aromatic, and can be used as a spice.

Unfortunately, the berries of some species, such as Juniperus sabina, are toxic. Eating them them is not advised.^[1] Juniper has a number of species, and you have to know what you are doing before you eat the berries.

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