oneseed juniper
Juniperus monosperma · Cupressaceae
oneseed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) is a perennial tree in the Cupressaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 5 and warmer, down to about -13°F.
⚠ Allelopathic. USDA flags this plant as releasing compounds that can suppress the growth of plants near it. Give neighbours extra room, and expect some companions to struggle regardless of how well their conditions match.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 40 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 7–8.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–April USDA |
| Flower color | Orange USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 5 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
| Nursery availability | Field Collections Only USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 7 to 8.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 5.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 40 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through April. Flowers are orange.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is dark green, fine in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as long.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 8 to 26 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 180 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Juniperus
- Chinese juniper Juniperus chinensis
- shore juniper Juniperus conferta
- common juniper Juniperus communis
- creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis
Similar role and hardiness
- Deodar cedar Cedrus deodara
- Port Orford cedar Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
- velvet ash Fraxinus velutina
- dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol JUMO, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Allelopathy, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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