Alligator Juniper
Juniperus deppeana

GROWING CONDITIONS
Full to part sun, moderate water, hardy to 0°F. In the low desert, it’s probably a good idea to plant in afternoon shade (in summer) while young—when it gets older, it should have no problem with the afternoon sun. Well-drained soil is best. Feed annually with a balanced, organic fertilizer.

GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED

SUN full to part sun
WATER moderate to low water
SOIL not picky, but well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to 0°F
BASIN high zone
CONTAINER can tolerate containers but will constrain size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little

ECOLOGY
Attracts birds & mammals, great nesting tree. Larval food plant for many butterflies and moths including the juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) and the Doll’s sphinx (Sphinx dollii). The berrylike cones are eaten by birds and mammals.

ETHNOBOTANY
Fruits are edible and have a long history of being used fresh, cooked, or variously preserved. There are some gin producers that use alligator juniper berries to flavor their gin.

NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found on dry, rocky slopes from 4,500-10,000’ in Arizona, New Mexico, and south into Mexico.

TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Cupressaceae, the cypress family. There are 75 species of Junipers widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south as tropical Africa, including the Arctic, parts of Asia, and Central America..
In Latin, juniperus is combination of the word junio, which means young, and parere, to produce, hence youth producing, or evergreen, and deppeana is after Ferdinand Deppe, a German naturalist, explorer and painter.

NOTE: there are many other native Juniper species that are sporadically available in the trade. For the region we usually serve, this is the best species.