Juniperus bermudiana
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Coniferophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Juniperus Species: J. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant Conifers This order was formerly known as the The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. bermudiana
Binomial name
Juniperus bermudiana L.

Juniperus bermudiana is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. In Bermuda and elsewhere this species is most commonly known as Bermuda cedar although it is not a true cedar (Cedrus, family Pinaceae); a more botanically accurate name would be Bermuda Juniper, although this is not in popular use anywhere. Cedar ( Cedrus) is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Plant family Pinaceae. The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars

It is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 m tall with a trunk up to 60 cm thick (larger specimens existed in the past) and thin bark that exfoliates in strips. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or The foliage is produced in blue-green sprays, with the individual shoots 1. 3-1. 6 mm wide, four sided (quadriform) in section. The leaves are scale-like 1. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. 5-2. 5 mm long (up to 4 mm long on strong-growing shoots) and 1-1. 5 mm broad, with an inconspicuous gland; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, occasionally decussate whorls of three. Juvenile plants bear needle-like leaves 4-8 mm long. The seed cones are irregularly globose to broad pyriform, 4-6 mm long and 5-8 mm broad, soft and berry-like, green at first, maturing bluish-purple about 8 months after pollination; they contain one or two (rarely three) seeds. A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers The word berry has two meanings one based on a botanical definition the other on common identification A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored The male cones are 4-6 mm long, yellow, turning brown after pollen release in early spring.

Ecology

Old growth trees survive and prosper in a Paget garden. Paget Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for William Paget 4th Baron Paget de Beaudesert (1572-1629

A threat to the continued existence of Bermuda's junipers arose in the mid-1940s when the species was attacked by two species of scale insects, Lepidosaphes newsteadi and Carulaspis minima, which were unintentionally introduced from the United States' mainland. The scale insects are small Insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the Superfamily Coccoidea. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the By 1978, these predators had killed 99% of Bermuda's junipers, some 8 million trees. However, the remaining 1% of the trees proved somewhat resistant to the scale insects, and efforts by Bermuda's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks to plant young junipers from this resistant strain throughout Bermuda have saved the trees from extinction.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia, also known as Horsetail Tree and Australian Pine), native to Australia, was introduced into Bermuda to replace the Bermuda Cedar's windbreak functions. Casuarina is a Genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeastern Asia, and islands of the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. However in Bermuda, casuarinas have proved to be highly aggressive, and no other plants are able to survive beneath them. Still, like the Bermuda Cedar, the casuarina's foliage is resistant to wind and salt, and these features have made casuarinas popular with gardeners in Bermuda. Other species introduced in an attempt to replace the juniper forest included the Bay Grape (Coccoloba uvifera). This article is about Coccoloba uvifera commonly called the sea grape Along with the Casuarina, the juniper's main introduced competitor for space is the Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). Brazilian Pepper ( Schinus terebinthifolius; also known as Aroeira, Florida holly, and Christmasberry) is a sprawling Shrub or

The species is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree outside of Bermuda, and may have become naturalised on Hawaii and Saint Helena. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common In Biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants or animals have spread into the Wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na) named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory It is reported that more than 6,500 of them were planted in Hawaii between 1921 and 1953, and that it has established wild populations there.

Uses and history

A postcard of Cedar Avenue in Hamilton, Bermuda before the species declined. Hamilton is the Capital of Bermuda. Although there is a parish of the same name, the city of Hamilton is in the parish of Pembroke.

It is known for its heavy, sweet aroma, useful and attractive reddish timber, significant role in Bermuda's history, and notable presence in Bermuda's historic homes.

When English settlers arrived in Bermuda, forests of Bermuda cedar flourished throughout the islands, and the species continued to thrive even as settlers developed the land. The wood was utilized by settlers for widely varying purposes including home, church, jail, and ship-building, interior woodworking, furniture construction, coffin-making, and export for sale. In addition, the cones were used by settlers as food for both themselves and their animals, and to prepare cedarberry syrup as a treatment for toothaches and coughs. Settlers also boiled the shoots in water to create an elixir for lowering fevers. Furthermore, the wood was found to repel moths and fleas as well as prevent mildew and rot, so many Bermuda residents used the wood to line closets and drawers.

The Featherbed Alley Printshop Museum, in the cellar of the Mitchell House, built ca. 1720, which features cedar beams, though the floor boards above are of then-more expensive, imported wood.

The wood was especially prized by ship-builders. It could be worked as soon as it was felled, and was naturally resistant to rot and woodworms. It was a strong as oak, but much lighter, contributing to the speed and maneouverability for which Bermudian ships were noted and prized. The Bermuda sloop is a type of fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel developed on the islands of Bermuda in the 17th century Its abundance enabled Bermudians to turn wholesale to a maritime economy after the dissolution of the Somers Isles Company in 1684. The Somers Isles Company was formed in 1615 to operate the English colony of the Somers Isles also known as Bermuda, as a commercial venture

In 1627, in an effort to conserve Bermuda's juniper forests, the local assembly passed legislation to restrict export of Bermuda Cedar for shipbuilding. In addition, between 1693 and 1878, the Bermuda legislature passed sixteen further acts placing restrictions on the uses of Bermuda Cedar. Despite these Acts, the ship-building industry eventually denuded much of Bermuda's landscape by the 1830s. Only the dawn of the age of steam-driven, steel-hulled ships allowed the forest to recover.

Many historic homes in Bermuda feature interior woodwork and furnishings made from Bermuda cedar. Examples of these homes include the Mayflower House, Camden House, Tucker House, and Verdmont House, the latter of which, according to the Bermuda National Trust, contains the colony's finest collection of antique Bermuda cedar furnishings. The Bermuda National Trust is an organisation which works to preserve and protect the heritage of Bermuda. Because it is now both scarce, and expensive, and it is featured in many grand homes, its scent has come to be associated with wealth.

Gallery

Bermuda cedars at Foot of the Lane (currently the site of a traffic roundabout), near Hamilton, Bermuda. Hamilton is the Capital of Bermuda. Although there is a parish of the same name, the city of Hamilton is in the parish of Pembroke.	An old growth Bermuda cedar in a garden. Such managed areas are the only place the tree thrives, today.	A Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana), in the graveyard of St. Mark's Church, Bermuda, another example of managed land areas where the species can still thrive.	A juvenile Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana), in the grave yard of St. Mark's Church, Bermuda.
A Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana), at Red Hole, Harbour Road, Paget, Bermuda - a site where many ships were built from the endemic wood.	An old growth Bermuda cedar survives on Woodbourne Avenue, in Pembroke, Bermuda.	The species is well adapted for a stormy climate.	Juvenile trees sprout up among the dead branches of other juveniles killed in the blight.
Dead juveniles at Ferry Reach, Bermuda. Ferry Reach is a three mile (five kilometre long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St	Juvenile cedar at Ferry Reach, Bermuda.	A Bermuda cedar growing from the moat of Scaur Hill Fort, on Somerset Island, Bermuda. Somerset Island is one of the main islands of the chain that makes up Bermuda. Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean.	A Bermuda cedar that had been used as a belfry when St. Peter's Church was first built in St. George's, Bermuda in 1612. St George's (formally the Town of St George, or St George's Town) located on the island and within the parish of the same names was the first permanent settlement

External links

• Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations:The Bermuda Cedar. GORDON GROVES, Director of Agriculture, Bermuda.

References

• Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Juniperus bermudiana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2c v2. 3)
• Adams, R. P. (2004). Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus. Trafford Publishing ISBN 978-1-4120-4250-5
• Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 978-1-84246-068-9
• Gymnosperm Database: Juniperus bermudiana
• Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, & Zoo. Bermuda Biodiversity Project. Retrieved April 3, 2006. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• Forbes, Keith Archibald (2006). Bermuda's Flora. Bermuda Online. Retrieved April 3, 2006. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• Forbes, Keith Archibald (2006). Bermuda's Historic Houses. Bermuda Online. Retrieved April 3, 2006. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• Morisawa, TunyaLee (1999). Weed Notes: Juniperus bermudiana (pdf file). Retrieved April 3, 2006. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.