1. Juniperus ashei Buchholz (Ashe's juniper) Pl.
20a,b; Map 70
Trees to 15 m tall, rarely few-trunked and shrublike. Trunks
with gray to light brown bark shredding in longitudinal strips. Scalelike
leaves 1–2 mm long, acute or blunt at the tip. Needlelike leaves 3–6 mm long.
Cones 5–9 mm in diameter, 1(2)-seeded. 2n=22. Pollen shed March–April.
Uncommon in southwestern portion of the Ozark Division along
the Arkansas border (Texas to Missouri). Dolomite glades and bluffs, less
commonly along dry roadsides in dolomite outcrops.
Although this species is almost always found growing with the
more common J. virginiana, earlier reports of hybridization between them
were refuted using morphological and phytochemical analyses (Adams and Turner,
1970; Adams, 1975). Aside from the minutely toothed leaf margins, Ashe's
juniper can usually be differentiated from the eastern red cedar by a
combination of other characters. The foliage of J. ashei is a darker
green and generally stays green through the winter, whereas the foliage of J.
virginiana is usually lighter, olive green to yellowish green, and often
turns a bronze color after the first frost. A unique feature of J. ashei
in Missouri and perhaps elsewhere is the pattern of lighter and darker rings
along the trunks and larger branches. The basis for this odd coloration is
unknown.
Juniperus ashei is the characteristic juniper of the Edwards Plateau in central Texas, where it also is weedy in old fields and is used for fence
posts. The trees are too uncommon in Missouri to be of any commercial value.