Azores juniper
Juniperus brevifolia
Family · Cupressaceae · Harmless
The Azores juniper, the most emblematic tree of the archipelago's uplands, twisted by wind and covered in moss and lichen. It is the second most photographed plant in Portugal that this guide was missing.
Uplands · Scrubland · Oak woods
Also known asshort-leaved juniper
How to tell it
A low, much branched tree, nearly always twisted, with brownish bark peeling in strips. Short needle leaves, four to ten millimetres, in whorls of three, with a broad white band on the upper face. Fleshy cones turning from green to reddish brown. Range: endemic to the Azores.
What it is confused with
Common juniper
Juniperus communis
Common juniper's needles are long and very sharp, one to two centimetres; the Azores juniper's are short and broad, with an obvious white band. And they do not overlap: one is mainland, the other Azorean.
Open sheet →What it is for
The wood was aromatic, rot-proof and the most valuable in the Azores, used in furniture, building and boxes. Historical logging reduced the species to a fraction of what it was, and today the juniper woods are a recovering European priority habitat.
The law says
A priority habitat under the Habitats Directive. Do not cut, do not collect and do not leave the trails in the juniper woods.