I just blogged on Marley Acers about our trip to Moab. I've never been there this time of year before and was amazed by the natural desert world getting ready for winter. One thing in particular caught my eye: The Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) in all it's fall glory.
"The Utah juniper is the classic desert tree. Its twisting, often-dead branches seem to epitomize the struggle of life with little water. When moisture is scarce, a juniper will actually stop the flow of fluids to some outer branches so that the tree has a better chance for survival. Scale-covered leaves and bluish, waxy-coated seeds help the tree conserve moisture."
The "berries" are what caught my eye, they absolutely COVER the trees in fall giving them an otherworldly appearance in the stark landscape. We stopped to look close up at the berries. I went on to learn that in botanical terms the the Utah Juniper is "a monoecious conifer".
"Conifer" means the "berries" are actually cones (like pine cones) but covered with a waxy flesh to protect the seeds from the heat.
"Monoecious" means that both sexes are on the same plant, meaning each individual tree is capable of surviving and reproducing alone, even if every other Utah Juniper in the world were to die! The craziest thing about that is that around 10% of plants have evolved to become dioecious, producing cones of only one sex.
Fascinating.
10 comments:
Facinating if only to me.
That is really cool! Thanks for posting it and sharing your discovery. I had never seen a juniper all in berry like that. It is something that I look forward to seeing someday!
Good Stuff Charlie! Thanks for sharing. you could work for the discovery channel! Great pictures too.
That is what makes this site so great. We each see things through a different set of lenses and it is fascinating to get a glimpse of the way someone else sees the world!
I forgot to add that the desert is an amazing place. I've never understood why plants would want to live in such a place!
Wouldn't you want to be from somewhere amazing if you were a plant!? I think that if I were a plant I would be from the California coast or the Sonoran Desert.
Charlie that was a fun trip discovering all there is to know about the Utah Juniper. Plants are amazing. If I have learned one thing living in the desertit's that there are many fascinating plants in the world.
I love Moab it has some great biking did you take your MT bike? I have not been in 15 years I need to get back. I still have some of my biking stuff that is stained with that great southern Utah red mud.
Charlie what a interesting post. I've always understood that Cedar Trees (Utah Juniper) have berries because we used to pick them and through them at each other - I don't know whether we were helping or hurting the proliferating process. I think I remember that the Ute Indians used the berries for food or spices and the seeds from the berries for making jewelry ... any truth to that?
I have a necklace that I bought on the Navajo Nation that is made from either cedar or juniper berries (okay, I admit I don't know enough about the flora to know which plant it is). I use it as a lanyard at work and I always get a lot of compliments on it. I like it because I love the landscape where it come from and I appreciate the meaning behind the beads for the Navajo people (which is ... the mothers make these necklaces for their children to protect them and give them courage)
You guys are way smarter than i gave you credit for :-)
this is a great post .... i too love that we all see the world through different lenses and can use this space to share our perspectives with one another.
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