Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little
Utah juniper
Utah juniper is native to the southwestern United States.
Plants: Either shrubs or trees 9½–39′ (3–12 m) tall, with trunks 4–39″ (10–100 cm) thick. Bark is pale reddish brown to pale gray, exfoliating in long strips.
Leaves: In opposite pairs or whorls of three. Most adult leaves resemble scales, and are 1/32–⅛ ⨉ 1/32–1/16″ (1.5–3.5 ⨉ 1–2.5 mm) in size.
Fruits: Staminate (male) cones are yellowish-brown, and 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) long. Ovulate (female) cones are uneven;y spherical in shape, ⅛–½″ (6–13 mm) wide, and brownish or blue to blue-purple at maturity. Plants are monoecious—male and female cones appear on the same plant.
Habitats: Dry rocky plains and plateaus, juniper and pinyon-juniper woodlands, pine-oak forests, grasslands, at elevations of 3000–7800′ (914–2377 m).
Online References:
8/26/2014 · Sandstone Bluffs, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico 
4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
Ovulate cones are light blue, and may also be brownish or blue-purple. · 4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
Ovulate cones are light blue, and may also be brownish or blue-purple. · 4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 4 × 6″ (11 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
Staminate (male) cones. · 9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) 
8/30/2014 · New Mexico 
8/28/2014 · High Road to Taos, New Mexico · By Susan M. Kent 
8/31/2014 · New Mexico 
Ovulate cones are light blue, and may also be brownish or blue-purple. · 4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, California · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
Ovulate cones are light blue, and may also be brownish or blue-purple. · 8/26/2014 · La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais, New Mexico · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
8/30/2014 · New Mexico · By Susan M. Kent 
Ovulate cones are light blue, and may also be brownish or blue-purple. · 8/26/2014 · La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais, New Mexico · ≈ 9 × 6″ (21 × 15 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Coniferophyta | Conifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs) |
| Class | Pinopsida | Gymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews |
| Order | Pinales | Cone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others |
| Family | Cupressaceae | Cypres family, including junipers and redwoods |
| Genus | Juniperus | Latin for “juniper” |
| Species | osteosperma | From the Greek osteon, “bone,” and sperma, which in Greek compound words means “-seeded”, thus meaning “hard-seeded” |
Juniperus osteosperma description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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