Juniperus communis subsp. nana Syme

Taxonomy: Fam. Cupressaceae// Genus: Juniperus// Species: Juniperus communis L.// Subspecies: Juniperus communis subsp. nana Syme.

Determined according to the botanical keys provided by Amaral Franco in Tutin et al. (1964) and Micevski (1985).

Species variability: Two subspecies of Juniperus communis L. occur in the Osogovo region: Juniperus communis subsp. communis L. and Juniperus communis subsp. nana Syme.

Distinction between subspecies:

Juniperus communis subsp. communis: An upright shrub or small tree, leaves 10-15 mm long, more or less patent. Upper zone of oak forests and European beach forests belt.

Juniperus communis subsp. nana: Low, prostrate shrub with spreading branches, leaves 5 – 10 mm long, closely set, upright to upcurved. Subalpine pastures.

Distribution: Native to Nova Scotia to Greenland, Subarctic to Subalpine Eurasia to West U.S.A. according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (accepted as Juniperus communis var. saxatilis Pall.).

Habitat: Subalpine pastures.

Lifeform: Perennial, a low prostrate shrub; Nanophanerophyte according to the Raunkiær system.

*Juniperus communis* subsp. *nana* – habit. Osogovo – subalpine pastures below “Carev vrv” peak (Stupka region), 15.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Juniperus communis var. saxatilis Pall. L. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:50918405-1 [Accessed 22.07.2023].

Juniperus L. Amaral Franco, J. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M., & Webb, D.A. (1964). Flora Europaea. Volume 1. Lycopodiaceae to Platanaceae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 38 – 39.

Juniperus L. Micevski, K. (1985). The Flora of SR Macedonia Vol. 1, Book 1. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 81 – 84.

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