Juniperus oxycedrus - Prickly juniper

Prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) is an evergreen Mediterranean tree. Its wood yields cade oil through destructive distillation, a traditional antiseptic used to treat skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 8¹
• Hardiness zone 9¹
• Hardiness zone 10¹

Outputs

• Medicinal use¹

Type

• Tree
• Evergreen

Functions

• Soil stabilization¹
• Wildlife habitat¹
• Insect shelter¹
• Insect repellent¹
• Flammable²³

Footnotes

1. Juniperus oxycedrus | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Pausas, J.G. & Verdú, M., “Plant persistence traits in fire-prone ecosystems of the Mediterranean basin: a phylogenetic approach,” Oikos 109(1), 2005, pp. 196-202: “junipers are prone to fires due to their high content of volatile substances, which makes them highly flammable” ↩

3. Guia de pirojardineria, Diputació de Girona / Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya, 2020, rated “desaconsellada” (discouraged) in its master species table ↩