Juniperus rigida
Needle Juniper
Juniperus rigida
Family: Cupressaceae Native Range: Japan, Korea, northern China Zone: 6 to 7 Height: 15-25 feet Spread: 10-20 feet Bloom Time: Non-flowering Bloom Description: Non-flowering Sun: Full sun Water: Dry to medium Maintenance: Low
BUILD/BEAUTY
This tree is located in the Arnold Arboretum in the evergreen section. One thing I found online is that this exact tree has a bonsai version, which is the same tree except scaled down to merely a foot tall in some cases. I enjoy the form of this tree, and its needles as well. The needles are spaced far apart, giving the fronds a unique airy look. The needles are arranges in 360 degrees around the twig, and continue all the way up and down the frond. This tree is exceptionally old, being planted in 1892, and still cooking. I will award this tree a 3 out of 4 for its needles, and a 2 out of 3 for its landscape uniqueness. The bark like many other junipers is a smooth and veined, similar to a bald cypress of metasequoia. I will award a 2 out of 3 for its bark, resulting in a respectable 7 out of 10 for its beauty score.
Bark: (1-3) 2
Leaves: (1-4) 3
Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2
Total: 7
This tree has great rot resistant wood, but it is a slow growing plant, and takes ages to gain a height of that seen in the example above. For the most part, people use this tree as a decorative bonsai tree, but its lumber uses include carvings, turned objects, as well as moisture resistant building items such as fence or sign posts, anything that will be in the ground, sopping up water. since there isn’t a plethora of information about this tree’s specific wood qualities, I will only award this tree a 5 out of 10 for buildability, when I know this wood is good in large sections, rather than just as small ornamental garden trees.
Source:
1. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279596&isprofile=0&
2. https://conifersociety.org/conifers/juniperus-rigida/
3. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+rigida

















