Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: ashe juniper
Type: Needled evergreen
Family: Cupressaceae
Native Range: United States, Mexico
Zone: 6 to 9
Height: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Spread: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Leaf: Evergreen
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Erosion, Clay Soil, Dry Soil, Urban Conditions
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerant of a wide variety of soils including clay. Intolerant of wet soils. Tolerant of some drought once established. Also tolerant of many city air pollutants. This juniper is not reliably winter hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Juniperus ashei, commonly called Ashe juniper, is an evergreen large shrub or small tree that is primarily native to central Texas (Edwards Plateau section in particular), with additional populations found in Oklahoma (Arbuckle Mountains and Prior Creek), northern Arkansas, southern Missouri (limestone glades and bald knobs along bluffs of the White River and its tributaries) and northern Mexico. Typically matures to 15-25' tall with a rounded to flattened crown. Trunk usually branches near the base. Gray to reddish brown bark peels in strips. Scale-like green leaves retain good color in winter. Hemispheric raised abaxial glands on the leaves are distinctive. Trees are dioecious (separate male and female plants). Pollen cones on male trees are small and appear at the tips of the branchlets. Berry-like, bluish-purple fruiting cones (usually one seed per fruit) with a white waxy coating appear on female trees. Fruit is eaten by some birds and mammals.
Genus name comes from the Latin name for the juniper.
Specific epithet honors William Willard Ashe (1872-1932), forester with the U.S. Forest Service and plant collector.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Junipers are generally susceptible to tip and needle blights. Cedar-apple rust and related rust diseases spend part of their life cycle on junipers. Root rot may occur, particularly in wet, poorly drained soils. Canker may attack bark or main stems. Occasional insect pests include aphids, bagworms, webworms and scale. Some people are allergic to pollen produced by male trees.
Uses
Native evergreen juniper for sunny areas of the landscape.