Juniperus cedrus aka Canary Islands Juniper

Juniperus cedrus, also known as the Canary Islands juniper, is a species of juniper that is native to the western Canary Islands and Madeira. It can be found at altitudes of 500-2400 meters and is closely related to the Mediterranean region's Juniperus oxycedrus and the Azores Juniper, Juniperus brevifolia. This large shrub or tree can grow up to 5-20 meters in height, with some rare specimens reaching 25 meters in height. Its evergreen leaves are needle-like and come in whorls of three, with a double white stomatal band split by a green midrib on the inner surface. The plant is usually dioecious, meaning separate male and female plants exist. The green seed cones are berry-like and ripen in 18 months to become orange-red with a variable pink waxy coating. The cones are spherical, with six fused scales in two whorls of three, and the three larger scales each have a single seed. Birds eat the cones, digesting the fleshy scales and passing the hard seeds in their droppings, which helps to disperse the seeds. The male cones are yellow and fall soon after shedding their pollen in February-March. Unfortunately, Juniperus cedrus is endangered in its native range due to historical felling for the valuable wood and overgrazing by goats. It has been fully protected since 1953, and populations are slowly recovering. Historical reports suggest that trees up to 30 meters tall occurred in the past, but trees over 10 meters are very rare now and confined to inaccessible cliffs. Occasionally grown as an ornamental tree, Juniperus cedrus can be found in warm temperate climates, including New Zealand, the British Isles, and California, but it is not common in cultivation. There are some small experimental plantations on the Canary Islands, where the plant has shown fast growth reaching about 14-15 meters tall in 40 years. The essential oil of Juniperus cedrus is particularly rich in thujopsene, which comprises around 2.2% of the weight of the heartwood. As a houseplant, Canary Islands Juniper is super rare and needs regular watering to thrive. It does best in long-lasting, direct light and should be less than 1 foot from a window. The plant likes soil that is well-draining and shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.