Juniper Tree Life Cycle

Seeds

• Juniper seeds are very slow to mature, staying on the cone at least one year. The seeds form on the tips of small cones. Each cone has from one to several seeds, depending on the species.

Early Growth

• Juniper trees grow very slowly. It takes 20 to 30 years for the tree to reach 5 feet in height. The gray tree is sinewy and develops an imposing root system. It is the well-developed root system, five times wider than the tree is high, that enables the juniper to live in areas where other trees cannot survive.

Reproductive Maturity

• The different species of juniper reach reproductive maturity when they are between 25 and 75 years old. About 10 percent of junipers produce all male cones. Approximately half of the trees produce all female cones. The remainder produces a combination of male and female cones on the same tree. Robins and other birds eat the seeds while the cones are still on the tree, contributing to its low reproduction rate.

Mature Juniper Trees

• Mature trees continue spreading roots to absorb nutrients from the soil. They are capable of developing deep root systems when needed. When a tree does need to grow deep roots, it grows a second set of lateral roots through the underground soil. The taproot of some species grows as deeply as the roots, but it stops growing at maturity in other juniper species. The trees reach a mature height of about 15 feet at 80 to 100 years of age, though some species, including Utah juniper, grow taller.