Biology
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The evergreen African pencil cedar is dioecious (7), meaning that the male and female reproductive structures are borne on separate plants. Pollen, from the tiny cones on the male plants, is carried by the wind to the waxy, berry-like cones of the female plants (7). Fertilised by pollen, the ovules within the female cones develop into brown seeds. The African pencil cedar is believed to produce seeds only every several years (3).
Conservation
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Efforts have been made to ensure the continued survival of this valuable tree; in the late 1970s the African pencil cedar became part of a plantation establishment program of the State Forest Department of Ethiopia, and in the late 1980s, trees were planted at a rate of a few hundred hectares per year (2). The aim of these plantations is to produce the necessary fuelwood and timber for the Ethiopian population, in order to decrease the pressure on remaining natural forests (2). However, to re-establish forests of African pencil cedar in East Africa, it is believed that natural regeneration should be promoted, including protecting young trees from grazing animals (2).
Description
provided by Arkive
The African pencil cedar, the tallest of all juniper species in the world (2), acquired its name from its extensive use in the manufacturing of pencils (2). The trunk is straight and sharply tapered, covered with bark varying in colour from pale brown to reddish brown (3). Young African pencil cedars have needle-like leaves, one to two centimetres long, and as the plant ages the foliage gradually changes to the scale-like adult leaves, which are light-green or yellowish-green and only up to six millimetres long (3) (4). Male African pencil cedars bear numerous, tiny male cones at the ends of branches. These greenish to orangey-brown structures are composed of scales, each containing two to three pollen sacs. Female plants bear the female cones; reddish-brown to blue-black, berry-like structures made of fleshy scales, each one containing a single ovule (3).
Habitat
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The African pencil cedar is found in mountainous areas and highlands (6), on rocky ground (5). In Africa, it occurs at altitudes between 1,050 and 3,600 metres, but is most common between 1,800 and 2,700 metres (6),
Range
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The African pencil cedar has a wide distribution, ranging from the Arabian Penisula, through East Africa, to Zimbabwe. However, whilst widespread, many populations of the African pencil cedar are extremely small and threatened (5).
Status
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Classified as Lower Risk / Near Threatened (LR/nt) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Threats
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While the export of the African pencil cedar for the manufacture of pencils has now ceased (2), its termite- and fungi-resistant timber continues to be popular for a great many purposes; local home construction and other carpentry, fuelwood, and for export (2) (5). This exploitation, in addition to expanding agriculture, browsing by animals such as buffalo and elephants, and the increase in plantations of fast-growing exotic species, is causing populations of African pencil cedar to decline (5). In Ethiopia, for example, indigenous forests have been decimated over the past 100 years with forests cleared for crops and grazing, and trees harvested for fuelwood (2). Habitat destruction has been so great that in southern Ethiopia it is unlikely that forests of Juniperus species will persist for long (8).
Derivation of specific name
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
procera: very tall
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- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=103040
- author
- Mark Hyde
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- Bart Wursten
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- Petra Ballings
Description
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Straight evergreen tree, up to 40 m tall. Leaves needle-like and spreading when young, scale-like and appressed to the branches when mature. Male cones oval, c. 3mm long with c. 10 overlapping scales; female cones c. 6 mm in diameter, with 6-8 fleshy scales, swollen and fused to give the appearance of a blue-black, berry-like fruit.
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- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=103040
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Frequency
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Extremely rare.
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- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=103040
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Worldwide distribution
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Elsewhere the species occurs in Malawi and other countries in East Africa
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- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
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- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=103040
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Juniperus procera
provided by wikipedia EN
Juniperus procera (known by the common English names African juniper, African pencil-cedar, East African juniper, East African-cedar, and Kenya-cedar)[4] is a coniferous tree native to mountainous areas in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a characteristic tree of the Afromontane flora.
Description
Juniperus procera is a medium-sized tree reaching 20–25 metres (66–82 feet) (rarely 40 m or 130 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5–2 m (5–6+1⁄2 ft) diameter and a broadly conical to rounded or irregular crown. The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 8–15 millimetres (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) long on seedlings, and adult scale-leaves 0.5–3 mm long on older plants, arranged in decussate pairs or whorls of three. It is largely dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. The cones are berry-like, 4–8 mm in diameter, blue-black with a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 2–5 seeds; they mature in 12–18 months. The male cones are 3–5 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring.[5]
Distribution
Juniperus procera is native to the Arabian Peninsula (in Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and northeastern, eastern, west-central, and south tropical Africa (in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).[4]
It is the only juniper to occur south of the equator, and is thought to be a relatively recent colonist of Africa; the species shows very little of the variability associated with a long period of evolution.[6] It is closely related to Juniperus excelsa from southwestern Asia, probably deriving from a common ancestor with that species in southwestern Asia.
Taxonomy
According to Tropicos, Juniperus procera was originally described and published in Synopsis Coniferarum 1847. The type specimen was collected from Ethiopia, by "Schimper" (possibly Wilhelm Philipp Schimper, but there were other contemporary collectors with this surname).[2][7]
Uses
It is an important timber tree, used for building houses, poles, and furniture. The bark is used for beehives.[8]
East African juniper, northern Tanzania
East African juniper, northern Tanzania
East African juniper, northern Tanzania
East African juniper, used as termite resistant fence stakes
References
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^ Farjon, A. (2013). "Juniperus procera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T33217A2835242. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T33217A2835242.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
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^ a b "Name – Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved March 1, 2013. Type-Protologue: Locality: ETHIOPIA: Semen, Adda Mariam near Enschedcap: Collector: Schimper
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^ "TPL, treatment of Juniperus procera". The Plant List; Version 1. (published on the internet). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
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^ a b "Juniperus procera". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved March 1, 2013.
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^ (Page archived by the Wayback Machine). Christopher J. Earle (April 14, 2009). "The Gymnosperm Database – Juniperus procera". Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) -
^ Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-068-4.
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^ Original description by Stephano Endlicher (1847). "Synopsis Coniferarum" (in Latin). Sangalli [together with] Scheitlin & Zollikofer. p. 26. Retrieved March 1, 2013. Schimper Herb. Abyssin. II. n. 537
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^ "Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher PRO: 1 records". Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
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Juniperus procera: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Juniperus procera (known by the common English names African juniper, African pencil-cedar, East African juniper, East African-cedar, and Kenya-cedar) is a coniferous tree native to mountainous areas in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a characteristic tree of the Afromontane flora.
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