Index / Search / Juniperus scopulorum

§1 Plant — species · Cupressaceae

Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.

vernacular Rocky Mountain juniper


USDA
JUSC2
GBIF
2684773
Rank
species
Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
Platephotograph · Graham Montgomery source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Habit and range

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Duration
Perennial
Group
Gymnosperm
Family
Cupressaceae Gray
Genus
Juniperus
§2a

Native status, by region

  • CAN Canada Native
  • L48 Lower 48 States Native

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought
High
Shade
High
Moisture use
Low
Fire
Low
Salinity
Low
Anaerobic
None
CaCO₃
High
Hedging
Medium
§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance
-38 °F minimum
Frost-free days
120 min.
Precipitation
9–26 in/yr
pH range
5–8.5
Root depth
20 in min.
Fertility need
Low
Soil texture
coarse, medium
§3c

Form & growth

Growth form
Stoloniferous
Growth rate
Slow
Lifespan
Long
Mature height
50 ft
Height @ 20 y
25 ft
Foliage texture
Medium
Foliage colour
Green
Porosity (summer)
Dense
Porosity (winter)
Dense
Flower colour
Yellow
Fruit colour
Blue
Fire resistant
No
N fixation
None
Toxicity
None
§3d

Reproduction

Bloom period
Early Spring
Seed abundance
High
Seed begins
Fall
Seed ends
Winter
Spread rate
Slow
Stratify
Yes
Seeds / lb
30,400
Propagation
seed, cuttings, bare root, container
§3e

Use & availability

Commercial availability
Routinely Available
Nursery stock
Yes
Browse palatability
Low
Graze palatability
Low
Palatable, human
No
Protein potential
Low
Lumber
No
Fuelwood
Medium
Christmas tree
No

§4Montana distribution

Recorded in 16 of 56 Montana counties.


§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/JUSC2 ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/2684773 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-25

fetched 2026-05-25T16:28:53Z