? Juniperus bermudiana Conservation status: Critical
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Coniferophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Juniperus Species: J. bermudiana
Binomial name
Juniperus bermudiana L.

Juniperus bermudiana is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. Common names include Bermuda Juniper, Bermuda Redcedar, and, confusingly, Bermuda "Cedar" (it is not a cedar, Cedrus, family Pinaceae). The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Families Pinaceae, pine family Araucariaceae, araucaria family Podocarpaceae, yellow-wood family Phyllocladaceae Sciadopityaceae, umbrella-pine family Cupressaceae, cypress family Cephalotaxaceae, plum-yew family Taxaceae, yew family The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant conifers. ... Genera Actinostrobus Athrotaxis Austrocedrus Callitris - Cypress-pine Callitropsis - Cypress * (Cupressus) Calocedrus - Incense-cedar Chamaecyparis - Cypress Cryptomeria - Sugi Cunninghamia - Cunninghamia Cupressus - Cypress Diselma - Diselma Fitzroya - Alerce Fokienia - Fujian Cypress Glyptostrobus - Chinese Swamp Cypress Juniperus - Juniper Libocedrus Metasequoia - Dawn Redwood Microbiota - Microbiota Neocallitropsis Papuacedrus * (Libocedrus) Pilgerodendron * (Libocedrus) Platycladus - Chinese Arborvitae Sequoia - Coast... Species 50-55 species; see text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Species Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... For other uses, see Cedar (disambiguation). ...

It is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 m tall with a trunk up to 60 cm thick (larger specimens existed in the past) and thin bark that exfoliates in strips. The foliage is produced in blue-green sprays, with the individual shoots 1.3-1.6 mm wide, four sided (quadriform) in section. The leaves are scale-like 1.5-2.5 mm long (up to 4 mm long on strong-growing shoots) and 1-1.5 mm broad, with an inconspicuous gland; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, occasionally decussate whorls of three. Juvenile plants bear needle-like leaves 4-8 mm long. The seed cones are irregularly globose to broad pyriform, 4-6 mm long and 5-8 mm broad, soft and berry-like, green at first, maturing bluish-purple about 8 months after pollination; they contain one or two (rarely three) seeds. The male cones are 4-6 mm long, yellow, turning brown after pollen release in early spring. A Silver Fir shoot showing three successive years of retained leaves In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant which retains its leaves year-round, with each leaf persisting for more than 12 months. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... A cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. ... Several types of berries from the market, but none of these are true berries. ... A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

Ecology

A threat to the continued existence of Bermuda's junipers arose in the mid-1940s when the species was attacked by two scale insects, Lepidosaphes newsteadi and Carulaspis minima, which were unintentionally introduced from the United States mainland. By 1978 these predators had killed 99% of Bermuda's junipers, some 8 million trees. However, the remaining 1% of the trees proved somewhat resistant to the scale insects, and efforts by Bermuda's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks to plant young junipers from this resistant strain throughout Bermuda have saved the trees from extinction. Families Aclerdidae Asterolecaniidae Beesoniidae Carayonemidae Cerococcidae Coccidae Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae Diaspididae Electrococcidae Eriococcidae Grimaldiellidae Halimococcidae Inkaidae Jersicoccidae Kermesidae Kerriidae Kukaspididae Labiococcidae Lecanodiaspididae Margarodidae Micrococcidae Ortheziidae Phenacoleachiidae Phoenicococcidae Pseudococcidae Putoidae Stictococcidae The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, notable for their habit of secreting a waxy covering that covers...

In the 1950s and 1960s the Casuarina (Casuarina equisitfolia, also known as Horsetail Tree and Australian Pine), native to Australia, was introduced into Bermuda to replace the Bermuda Juniper's windbreak functions. However in Bermuda, casuarinas have proved to be highly aggressive, and no other plants are able to survive beneath them. Still, like the Bermuda Juniper, the casuarina's foliage is resistant to wind and salt, and these features have made casuarinas popular with gardeners in Bermuda. Other species introduced in an attempt to replace the juniper forest included the Bay Grape (Coccoloba uvifera). Along with the Casuarina, the juniper's main introduced competitor for space is the Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). Selected species Casuarina cunninghamiana Casuarina equisetifolia Casuarina glauca Casuarina is a genus of shrubs and trees in the Family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia and islands of the Pacific. ... Binomial name Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L. The Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) is a sprawling bush or small tree that is found near sea beaches throughout tropical America and the Caribbean, including southern Florida. ... Binomial name Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius; also known as Aroeira or Florida Holly) is a sprawling shrub or small tree 7-10 m tall, native to subtropical and tropical South America, in southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina and Paraguay. ...

The species is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree outside of Bermuda, and has become naturalised on Saint Helena. An ornamental plant is a plant species or cultivar that is grown indoors, or in gardens and parks for its amenity value, or for beauty (in its end use), rather than commercial or other value. ... In biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants have spread into the wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration. ...

Uses and history

It is known for its heavy, sweet aroma, useful and attractive reddish timber, significant role in Bermuda's history, and notable presence in Bermuda's historic homes.

When English settlers arrived in Bermuda, forests of Bermuda Juniper flourished throughout the islands, and the species continued to thrive even as settlers developed the land. The wood was utilized by settlers for widely varying purposes including home, church, jail, and ship-building, interior woodworking, furniture construction, coffin-making, and export for sale. In addition, the cones were used by settlers as food for both themselves and their animals, and to prepare cedarberry syrup as a treatment for toothaches and coughs. Settlers also boiled the shoots in water to create an elixir for lowering fevers. Furthermore, the wood was found to repel moths and fleas as well as prevent mildew and rot, so many Bermuda residents used the wood to line closets and drawers.

The wood was especially prized by ship-builders. It could be worked as soon as it was felled, and was naturally resistant to rot and woodworms. Its abundance enabled Bermudians to turn wholesale to a maritime economy after the dissolution of the Somers Isles Company in 1684. The Somers Isles Company was formed in 1615 to operate the English colony of the Somers Isles, alias the Islands of Bermuda, as a commercial venture. ...

In 1627, in an effort to conserve Bermuda's juniper forests, the local assembly passed legislation to restrict export of Bermuda juniper for shipbuilding. In addition, between 1693 and 1878, the Bermuda legislature passed sixteen further acts placing restrictions on the uses of Bermuda Juniper. Despite these Acts, the ship-building industry eventually denuded much of Bermuda's landscape by the 1830s. Only the dawn of the age of steam-driven, steel-hulled ships allowed the forest to recover. Events A Dutch ship makes the first recorded sighting of the coast of South Australia. ...

Many historic homes in Bermuda feature interior woodwork and furnishings made from Bermuda cedar. Examples of these homes include the Mayflower House, Camden House, Tucker House, and Verdmont House, the latter of which, according to the Bermuda National Trust, contains the colony's finest collection of antique Bermuda cedar furnishings. Because it is now both scarce, and expensive, and it is featured in many grand homes, its scent has come to be associated with wealth. The Bermuda National Trust is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the heritage of Bermuda. ...

References

• Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Juniperus bermudiana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Downloaded on 11 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2c v2.3)
• Adams, R. P. (2004). Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus. Trafford Publishing ISBN 1-4120-4250-X
• Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1842460684
• Gymnosperm Database: Juniperus bermudiana
• Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, & Zoo. "Bermuda Biodiversity Project". Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Bermuda Hotel Association (2006). "The Story of Bermuda Cedar". Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Bermuda National Trust. "Homes and Gardens of Colonial Bermuda". Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• The Royal Gazette "Earth Day 2004". Retrieved 04 May, 2006
• Bermuda Tourism. "Flora". Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Forbes, Keith Archibald (2006). "Bermuda's Flora". Bermuda Online. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Forbes, Keith Archibald (2006). "Bermuda's Historic Houses". Bermuda Online. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Morisawa, TunyaLee (1999). "Weed Notes: Juniperus bermudiana". Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• Ziral, James and Jones, Liz. "Flora and Fauna". Insiders Guide Bermuda. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
• "Specialty Definition: Juniper". Retrieved April 4, 2006.