Juniperus cedrus aka Canary Islands Juniper

Juniperus cedrus is a conifer that stays green all year. It belongs to the Cupressaceae family. People call it Canary Island juniper or Canary Island cedar. Kew gives its native range as Madeira and the Canary Islands. Kew also places it in a subtropical climate. The tree is not native to Britain or Ireland. Oregon State lists it as non-native to Oregon, too. Its island roots help put this tree in context.

The tree has a short, thick trunk and wide-spreading branches. Its fine branchlets hang down in a loose, limp form. These tips droop, while the main branches reach out wide. Oregon State gives a top height of 100 feet [30 metres]. It says most trees stay much smaller than this. The sources give no clear size range for garden trees. Nor do they give a width for a full-grown tree. Do not treat that top height as a normal garden size.

The tree keeps its leaves through the whole year. Its stiff, narrow needles are lanceolate, or shaped like lance heads. They grow in whorls, with three needles round each shoot. Each needle spreads out but points toward the shoot tip. The needles are blue-green and have a clear midrib above. The round cones are fleshy, not woody. They turn red-brown and have a blue wax coat. Oregon State gives their width as about half an inch. Though they look like fruit, they are cones. The account gives no season for flowers or ripe cones.

Oregon State lists sun and part shade as suitable. It suggests USDA Zone 8 but adds a question mark. Treat this as an unsure rating, not a firm cold limit. The sources give no guide to soil, water, feed, or pruning. They give no firm growth rate, either. Oregon State notes a tree in the Oregon Garden's conifer collection. This gives a known case of the species grown in a garden.

The wide crown and drooping branchlets shape its garden form. Its blue-green leaves add interest through more than one season. Oregon State says the tree is nearly lost in its native Canary Islands. This does not set a formal IUCN status. The sources name no specific pests or diseases. They give no proof that any part is safe to eat. Nor do they support use as medicine. They give no evidence of safety for people or pets.