Family |
Cupressaceae
Juniperus deltoides
R.P.Adams
Juniperus deltoides R.P.Adams
First published in Phytologia 86: 47 (2004).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 18, under Juniperus oxycedrus; Pl. VII, fig. 2)
Description
Synonym: Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. deltoides (R.P.Adams) N.G.Passal., Inform. Bot. Ital. 41: 141 (2009), a homotypic synonym accepted by Kew.
Life-form & habit: Small dioecious tree, scarcely reaching 10 m in Mouterde’s regional account; male and female reproductive structures occur on separate plants.
Leaves: Needle-like, arranged in whorls of three, 15–20 mm long and 1–2 mm wide in the historical regional account; glaucous, with two white bands on the upper surface and green beneath.
Reproductive structures: Reproductive structures approximately spherical. Mature berry-like seed cones globose to somewhat ovoid, reddish-brown or brown, 6–10 mm wide, with a light bluish bloom, according to Mouterde.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Spring flowering in Mouterde’s terminology; seed cones ripen after one year or more.
Habitat & elevation: In Lebanon, Mouterde describes it as exceptional below 500 m and fairly common higher up, particularly on sandstone. No numerical upper elevation is supplied in the species account.
Distribution
Historical Lebanese localities: El Boum; Yarzé (a single tree observed in 1932 and subsequently lost); below Ghazir; Jisr el Qadi; Abey; Bikfayya; Antoura; Mayrouba; Douma; Qornayel; Sir; Aïn Zehalta; Jabal Kneissé; Afqa; Jabal Qamou’a; Hermon; above Jdita. These records were published by Mouterde under J. oxycedrus.
Historical Syrian localities: Qadmous; Nebi Younès; Kutchuk Darmik; Kessab; Cassius, under Mouterde’s historical J. oxycedrus treatment.
Recorded locations: Sannine, Kfertay, Fnaidek, Tannourine.
Native range: SE Europe to NW Iran. Kew lists Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Crete, Crimea, Lebanon-Syria, North Caucasus, NW Balkan Peninsula, Palestine, Romania, Transcaucasus and Türkiye.
Modern taxonomic references: Gutiérrez-Larruscain et al. (2024), Phylogenomic analysis reveals the evolutionary history of Paleartic needle-leaved junipers, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 199: 108162; Vidaković et al. (2024), Secondary sexual dimorphism and morphological diversity in two allopatric juniper species: Juniperus oxycedrus and J. deltoides, Acta Botanica Croatica 83(1): 14–25.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Juniperus deltoides was separated from the historically broader J. oxycedrus concept in 2004. The 2024 phylogenomic study supports the distinction between the eastern Mediterranean J. deltoides and western J. oxycedrus; the 2024 morphological study also supports their separation. Kew accepts J. deltoides and includes Lebanon-Syria in its native range. Mouterde’s regional account predates this split: its morphology, phenology and localities are used here as historical regional evidence interpreted in that modern framework, without implying modern redetermination of every specimen. J. oxycedrus L. is therefore not listed as an unrestricted synonym. Mouterde’s discussion of the name J. rufescens reflects historical nomenclature and is not adopted as current synonymy.