Juniperus grandis

Sierra juniper, grand juniper, Grand Juniper

Family: Cupressaceae · Type: tree · Native

Sierra juniper is a native tree found in the northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, eastern Sierra Nevada, and desert mountains, growing on exposed, dry, rocky slopes, flats, forests, and pinyon/juniper woodlands at elevations of 100 to 3,100 meters. Although no specific flowering time is noted, this distinctive tree features blue-green seed cones maturing to blue-black that are 5 to 9 millimeters long and highly resinous. Growing 8 to 20 meters tall, sometimes reaching 30 meters, it develops a characteristic red-brown bark with a generally dioecious habit. Its leaves are uniquely arranged in whorls of three, closely appressed and scale-like, forming a six-ranked pattern across the branches. The tree produces seeds with 2 to 4 cotyledons, contributing to its resilience in challenging high-elevation and rocky environments.

Habitat: Exposed, dry, rocky slopes, flats, forest, pinyon/juniper woodland

Elevation: 100-3100 m

Bioregions: NCoRH, SNH, SnGb, SnBr, SNE, DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Nevada, Plumas, Mariposa, Tulare, Mono, Tuolumne, El Dorado, Inyo, Placer, Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Siskiyou, Lassen, Shasta, Sierra

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.