Juniper is best known for its aromatic berries, which are prized for the flavour they impart to gin.
In fact, the word ‘gin’ derives from genièvre or jenever - the French and Dutch words for juniper.
Juniper is one of only three native conifers - the other two are yew and Scot’s pine - and was one of the first trees to colonise Britain after the last Ice Age. But today the wild juniper plant is in serious trouble.
Juniper has steadily declined over the last few decades and many counties in southern England have lost over 60 per cent of their juniper populations.
In Scotland, the UK’s traditional stronghold for Juniper, it has been lost from nearly a quarter of areas it was previously found in.
There is no single cause for juniper decline in the lowlands, but loss of seedling habitat through under-grazing and the development of dense grassland and scrub, is the most widespread problem. Some colonies have also been affected by a shortage of viable seed, or were overrun with rabbits eating seedlings and damaging adult bushes.
Continue reading Campaign to save the wild Juniper
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Juniper bushes thriving in the Highlands of Scotland
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