About Juniperus drupacea Labill.
Juniperus drupacea Labill. is the tallest species of juniper, growing as a conical tree 10–25 metres (33–82 feet) tall, and reaching exceptional heights up to 40 m (130 ft). Its trunk can be up to 1–2 m (3+1⁄2–6+1⁄2 ft) thick. It bears needle-like leaves arranged in whorls of three. The leaves are green, 5–25 millimetres (1⁄4–1 in) long and 2–3 mm broad, with a double white stomatal band split by a green midrib on the inner surface. This species is usually dioecious, with separate male and female individual plants. Its seed cones are the largest of any juniper; they look berry-like but are hard and dry. They start green and ripen over about 25 months to dark purple-brown with a pale blue waxy coating. They are ovoid to spherical, 20–27 mm (3⁄4–1 in) long and 20–25 mm diameter, with six or nine fused scales arranged in 2–3 whorls, and each scale has a slightly raised apex. The three apical scales each hold one seed, and the three seeds fuse together into a single nut-like shell. Unlike any other juniper, this species produces male cones in clusters of 5–20 cones grouped together. The male cones are yellow, 3–4 mm long, and fall soon after shedding their pollen in early spring.
