Juniperus procera is closely related to Juniperus excelsa Bieb., which is distributed in Europe and temperate Asia. The two species have sometimes been treated as conspecific, but this view is not widely accepted[].

Common Name:

General Information

Juniperus procera is an evergreen tree with a crown that is pyramidal in young trees but becoming wide-spreading and flat-topped in older ones with branches that are spreading or ascending; it usually grows up to 40 metres tall, occasionally to 50 metres. The straight, tapered bole can be branchless for up to 20 metres and up to 200cm, occasionally 300cm, in diameter; it is often heavily fluted, the outer bark fissured and exfoliating in long narrow papery strips[, ].
The tree is extensively exploited from the wild for its wood, and is also the source of an essential oil and various traditional medicines. The wood used to be exported to Europe and North America for the manufacture of pencils and penholders, while small quantities were used for wardrobe linings. The essential oil is still exported[]. The tree is now grown in plantations, both in its native range and elsewhere, including South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, India and Australia[]. It is a useful shade tree, and is frequently planted as an ornamental and to provide windbreaks[].
Although frequently logged, the plant is still common or abundant in many areas of its extensive range, though there are concerns about localized declines within its range. These declines need to be monitored since, in combination, they could amount to a more significant overall population reduction and may warrant a change to a more threatened category in the future. At present the plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, eastern DR Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe; to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Habitat

Mountain slopes, summits, on escarpments and outcrops and in forested ravines in sand, loam or clay soils over various rock types at elevations from 1,370 - 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	30.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Juniperus procera is a tropical highland species, where it is commonly found at elevations between 1,800 - 2,800 metres, though it also occurs in the broader range of 1,000 - 3,500 metres[]. It is found in areas where the mean annual temperature ranges from 5 - 20°c. Plants from the higher parts of its range have proven to be surprisingly cold tolerant, able to withstand short periods with temperatures down to at least -5°c, and are growing outdoors in the milder regions of the temperate zone[]. The mean annual rainfall in the forest belt where it is mainly found is 1,000 - 1,400mm, but the tree is also found in areas where the rainfall can range from 300 - 2,000mm. Individual trees can survive in hot and dry conditions, once established, but in areas with low rainfall, the trees are generally of poor form and small size. Where rainfall exceeds 1,400mm the forests dominated by Juniperus procera are gradually replaced by moister types of evergreen forest in which Juniperus procera becomes increasingly rare[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Prefers rocky soils, with a light to medium texture and free drainage[]. Found wild in sand, loam or clay soils over various rock types, including basalt, volcanic ash and cinders, granite, limestone, and metamorphic rock[].
The tree is assumed to be deep-rooting, like other Juniperus spp., but the characteristics of its root system are poorly known[].
Growth, especially of young plants, is slow. In Ethiopia 10 - 15-year-old plantation trees were 6 - 9 metres tall, with a bole diameter of 8 - 16cm, whereas 30 - 40-year-old plantation trees were 17 - 21 metres tall, with a bole diameter of 16 - 29cm. In a 200-year-old stand, the trees were 37.5 m tall, with a bole diameter of 107cm[].
In the Usambara mountains in Tanzania (at an elevation of 1,450 metres, an average annual temperature 18°c, and an average annual rainfall of 1,070mm) 61-year-old trees in a density of 182 trees/ha had an average height of 32.5 metres and an average bole diameter of 47cm. The standing volume was 247 m³ per hectare[].
A naturally regenerated 15-year-old stand in Kenya, the result of an earlier fire, had an average tree height of 14.7 metres and an average bole diameter of 23cm; 35 years later the trees in this stand (density 262 stems/ha) had an average height of 23.5 metres and an average bole diameter of 39cm[].
The growth of plantations ranges from 3.5 to 13 cubic meters per hectare per year, averaging 7.5 cubic metres, considerably less than that of some exotic species on the same sites, such as Eucalyptus globulus which produces 50 cubic metres[].
The tree has irregular flowering and fruiting periods, only flowering once every several years. It is wind pollinated and seeds are dispersed by birds[, ].
Juniperus procera is a prolific seed-bearer and the seeds, though sometimes damaged by seed-boring insects, are usually fertile[].
Young seedlings are very light demanding and absolutely intolerant of any decomposing organic matter covering the ground. Therefore the seeds can only germinate freely in open, grassed areas or among shrubs, such as in glades or forest edges, where there is adequate light and mineral soils. Consequently, Juniperus procera forests can only develop in two principal ways: either saplings are found growing under the shelter of bushes at forest edges, or natural regeneration occurs after a fire or in large clearings of other origin, giving rise to usually very dense, even-aged stands of trees with long, branch-free boles. Due to these strict requirements, artificial regeneration appears to be the easiest and fastest way to maintain Juniperus procera forests[].
The production of suitable logs for the sawn wood and veneer market may be possible with a rotation period of 70 - 100 years[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Female cones solitary, ovoid, 0.3–0.7 cm diameter, colour variable (bluish or brownish or purplish black). Seeds (one to) two to three (to four) per cone[].

Medicinal

The tree is often used in traditional African medicine. Some research has been carried out into the active compounds in the plant, and these have tended to support the traditional uses.
The essential oil obtained from from the leaves is rich in cedrol. It has shown antioxidant activity[].
The leaves and bark contain diterpenes with antibacterial activity[].
The butanol fraction of an ethanol extract of the bark has been shown it inhibit implantation of the foetus[].
The bark contains about 3.5% tannin[].

An infusion of the powdered young twigs is taken as a remedy against intestinal worms[]. The smoke from the twigs is inhaled as an expectorant[].
Applied externally, people with rheumatism are treated by exposure to the smoke of burnt twigs and seed cones[].

The leaves are used in the treatment of stomach aches[].
The dried, powdered leaves are applied on wounds of humans and animals. A hot bath to which the leaves are added is used in the treatment of fever[, ].

The resin is used as a stimulant and is also applied to ulcers[].

Macerations of the bark are drunk, and also applied as a vaginal wash, to act as birth-control agents[].

A decoction of the seed cones is used as a sudorific and emmenagogue[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Since the tree can grow in extreme conditions, it is replanted in deforested areas as a means of soil conservation or improvement, and also for erosion control.
A useful shade tree, it is frequently planted in windbreaks[], and also in ornamental hedges[].
Litter fallen from the tree makes the soil acidic, so Juniperus procera should not be intercropped with crops[].

Other Uses

The wood contains 0.5 - 3% essential oil, which is distilled mainly from the sawdust. It is used in the cosmetic industry in soaps and perfumes[, ]. The most important component iscedrol (23 - 79%), which is known to have antitermite effects[].

The wood is used for making fire sticks[].

Older trees are usually hollow and can be used in making beehives[].

The heartwood is pale red, yellow-brown or purple-red when freshly cut, turning reddish brown on exposure; it is clearly demarcated from the up to 25mm wide band of cream-coloured or white sapwood. The grain is usually straight; the texture fine and even. The wood is liable to bleach in the sun and is sometimes streaked with zones of darker and lighter colour which produce an attractive figure. In-grown bark, spiral grain and compression wood are common defects. The wood is medium-weight; very durable, even in contact with the soil, it is resistant to fungi, termites and most borers except Oemida gahani. The sapwood is not susceptible to attack by Lyctus beetles. It seasons well when dried with care, but larger pieces are liable to end-splitting and surface-checking, and the wood should not be allowed to dry rapidly in the initial stages[]. It is easy to work with hand and machine tools, although it is rather brittle and fissile, tending to break and chip on drilling and mortising; it can split on nailing and screwing, and pre-boring is necessary; it glues, stains and polishes well[, ].
The wood is very fragrant, with a characteristic and persistent aromatic cedar smell. It is widely used for building (both construction and lining), joinery, flooring (strip and parquet), furniture and all sorts of outdoor work such as roofing shingles, fence posts, water flumes and transmission poles. Ii is used traditionally for making fire sticks, beehives and salt-troughs. It is also suitable for ship and boat building, agricultural implements, musical instruments, carving, vats, toys and novelties, turnery, draining boards and food containers. It can be used for making veneer and plywood, hardboard and particle board, and as pulpwood[, ].
The wood is used as firewood and to make charcoal[]. It burns evenly, but fast when fresh, and the charcoal does not last long[].

Propagation

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[, ]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[].
Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/early autumn in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[, ].
Layering in September/early autumn. Takes 12 months[].