Juniperus conferta
Common name: 
Shore Juniper
Pronunciation: 
ju-NIP-er-us kon-FER-ta
Family: 
Cupressaceae
Genus: 
Juniperus
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Conifer, evergreen, bushy, procumbent ground cover, 12-14 inches (30-35 cm) tall by 6 ft (1.8 m) wide, branchlets erect.  Leaves crowded (conferta: crowded), overlapping, awl-shaped, 6-15 mm long, in whorls of 3, prickly point, deeply grooved above, one band of stomata, green, but may turn bronze-green or yellow-green in winter.
  • Sun.  Tolerant of poor soils, especially sandy, but not tolerant of excess soil moisture.  At home on sandy ocean beaches.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone (5)6     Found on the sea coasts of Japan.  Rarely cultivated or sold there (John Creech, NMPRO, Sept. 2002).
  • A few cultivars:
    • 'Blue Pacific' - trailing habit, to 1 ft (30 cm) tall, blue-green foliage
    • 'Emerald Sea' - dense, to 10 inches (25 cm) tall, awl-like, emerald-green leaves, yellow-green in winter
    • 'Silver Mist' - to 16 inches (40 cm) tall, silvery blue-green leaves that mature to blue-green
    • 'All Gold' - variegated, foliage is soft yellow.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branch

    branch

  • branchlets

    branchlets

  • branchlets and fruit

    branchlets and fruit

  • needles

    needles

  • branch, comparison

    branch, comparison