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Savin Juniper - Ginepro Sabino
Juniperus Sabina

Family: Cupressaceae

This is a graceful, low evergreen shrub with ascending or spreading branches that ascend or spread at a high angle and flare out at the top, producing a goblet shape. It is usually about 4-5 ft. high, though sometimes attaining 10-15 ft., and is useful on soil which is too light and sandy for most growing things. Leaves dark green and of two types: needle-like in pairs, concave and glaucous above; on mature branches scale-like, rather thick and with a gland on the back. Flowers are dioecious and of no ornamental value. Fruit is globose/globular, 1/4 in. long brown berry-like cones covered wiht bluish bloom and found on recurved stakes, 4 to 6 scales. The bark is hard to see generally covered with needles. It has a wide-spreading habit and slow growth rate.

Native to mountains of central and southern Europe, western Asia to Siberia. Hardy from zone 3 southward.

One of the handsomest dwarf evergreens, it stands city conditions and likes limey soil. The whole plant has a strong, slightly disagreeable odor; var. eupressifolia, a low, almost prostrate form, usually with overlapping, scale-like leaves; var. tamariscifolia, a low form to which the leaves are mostly needle-like and borne in 3's.

A young Juniperus sabina 'Tamariscifolia' (Tamarix Juniper) with typical rounded top, branches arching out from the centre carrying the upward-facing branchlets of rich deep-green foliage, which is quite prickly to handle; the tiny leaves are mainly of juvenile type and sharp.

Juniperus sabina 'Tamariscifolia' (Tam/Tamarix Juniper)

A conifer that stands out among alI others as a distinct and recognisable form, 'Tamariscifolia' (above photograph) has been in cultivation for 200 years and will doubtless continue to be grown for a long time yet. It is technically a botanical variety, being found in the wild in Southern Europe, and is therefore often found listed as var. tamariscifolia. Poorly-nourished plants usually revert to adult foliage and the bluish-dark green color will fade to an unattractive dull green. It can be expected to make a tidy mound of foliage of 1.5m (4ft) wide by 50cm (20in) high in ten years and can be kept to this size if required by a yearly pruning. Two similar cultivars, 'Broadmoor' and 'Buffalo', have recently been introduced as compact-growing editions of 'Tamariscifolia'. Hardiness 5.

Conifer, evergreen, shrub, low spreading, mounded form, 18" (45 cm) high by 10 ft (30 m) across, branches horizontal and layered on each other, branchlets crowded, tend to arise from upper 30o of a branch. Leaves scale-like (4 ranked), sharp tipped, out spreading and, on older branchlets, awl-shaped, 2-3 mm long, blue-green. Like other J. sabina, leaves emit an unpleasant odor when crushed; difficult to detect in cold weather.
Sun. Adaptable. Does well on limestone soil and well-drained and dry soils. Tolerates city conditions.
Hardy to USDA Zone 3 Found in the wild on the mountains in Southern Europe, and may deserve the botanical categorization of variety (i.e., var.). Probably more than one clone in the nursery trade.

Bibliography:

Norman Taylor, Taylor's Encyclopedia of Gardening, 4th Edition, Houghton Mifflin Co. (Boston, 1961)
James & Louise Bush-Brown, America's Garden Book, Charles Scribner's Sons, printed by the Murray Printing Co. (Forge Village, 1965)
Ornamental Conifers, Hafner Press, a Division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. (New York, 1975)
University of Connecticut plant data base
Iconotheca botanica (Plant images collection of the Herbarium of Moscow University), Otto Wilhelm Thomè - Juniperus sabina
Liber Herbarum II
Oregon State University Horticulture, Landscape Plants - juniperus sabina

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