The Phoenicea Juniper is a shrubby species of the Cupressaceae family. It is a constitutive element of the Mediterranean bush and grows wild along the coast.
Its berries are greatly appreciated for the extraction of an essential oil called juniper essence which finds application in the production of liquors such as gin, and in medicine and veterinary as phytotherapy.
It’s a frugal plan and important in the Mediterranean (it grows up to 1500 m). It has a very slow growth and is also very long-lived. The thin bark tends to flake.
It grows in the Mediterranean, especially on calcareous soil. The wood has excellent quality (similar to that of Common Juniper) once used for small inlay work.
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Notes
Conifer Specialist Group 1998. Juniperus phoenicea. In: Iucn 2010, Iucn Red List of Threatened Species. Versionbe 2010.1