Juniperus excelsa
Greek juniper

Franz Xaver/Wikimedia
EUFORGEN

Recognized for its distinctive pyramidal crown and scaly, needle-like leaves, Greek juniper (Juniperus excelsa) is a resilient, evergreen, long-living, usually monoecious, and wind-pollinated coniferous tree. Its seeds are dispersed by gravity or birds and small mammals. Native to mountainous areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, Greek juniper thrives in diverse habitats ranging from rocky slopes to open woodlands. The species is regionally widespread but found in rare and fragmented forests. There are two subspecies of Greek juniper: a western taxon, J. excelsa subsp. excelsa in the eastern Mediterranean and Ukraine, and an eastern taxon, J. excelsa subsp. polycarpos in Caucasia and Central Asia (Douaihy et al., 2011).

Greek juniper can tolerate drought, frost, degraded soils, and harsh conditions, but prefers well-drained soils and full sunlight; it often appears as a pioneer species, giving it a key role in maintaining ecosystems (Evren and Kaya, 2021). In some areas, it is the only coniferous species found at the tree line, giving it a significant role in soil stabilization (Douaihy et al., 2011). The fragrant wood of Greek juniper is highly valued for its quality, durability, and aromatic properties, making it a sought-after material for construction and incense. Additionally, its berries are utilized in traditional medicine, while the tree's bark is locally used as a material for roofing.

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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)

Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Juniperus excelsa conservation in Europe

Genetic summary

Greek juniper has typically high levels of genetic diversity at the species and population level, like other conifer species (Douaihy et al., 2011). Many populations of Greek juniper, such as those on the northern and southern boundaries of its distribution, show especially high levels of genetic variability (Yücedağ and Gailing, 2013). This high level of genetic diversity is still shown despite the fragmented and discontinuous distribution of the species and is higher than that of other juniper species, such as Azores juniper (J. brevifolia) or Spanish juniper (J. thujifera) found in the same distribution (Evren and Kaya, 2021). High genetic diversity even in fragmented populations may be because fragmentation occurred only recently and initial levels of genetic diversity were already high (Douaihy et al., 2011). High gene flow in the species through effective pollen and seed dispersal has also helped Greek juniper maintain high levels of genetic diversity (Evren and Kaya, 2021). Intrapopulation genetic diversity is high, while differentiation among populations is low, the result of high gene flow (Evren and Kaya, 2021).

Many Turkish populations show a low level of genetic differentiation and there is no significant correlation between geographic and genetic distance, at least in Türkiye (Yücedağ and Gailing, 2013). However, some populations are more differentiated than others. For example, high-elevation populations in Lebanon showed higher levels of genetic differentiation and were significantly different to Turkish populations (Douaihy et al., 2011). This could be the result of either a long period of isolation, originating from different refugial areas, or that the species was not able to cross the Syrian desert (Douaihy et al., 2011).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Further relevant genetic traits

No available information.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic conservation

Juniper forests have been harvested for centuries to be used as wood for buildings, energy, manufactured goods, and have been cleared to turn forests into agricultural lands (Evren and Kaya, 2021). This has led to significant forest fragmentation, and today juniper forests still suffer from human agropastoral activities, such as intensive grazing, cutting and pruning, and land transformation (Douaihy et al., 2011). The slow growth, low germination rates of seeds, and the loss of the oldest individuals of Greek juniper make human impacts on the species more damaging and lead to a loss of genetic diversity in the species (Douaihy et al., 2011).

While Greek juniper populations still maintain high genetic diversity despite a fragmented and discontinuous distribution, this may not remain so in the future without management and conservation (Evren and Kaya, 2021). If existing population structure is conserved, then the loss of genetic diversity from fragmentation can be stopped and their long-term survival guaranteed (Evren and Kaya, 2021). Ex situ conservation including the oldest populations is an effective measure as these populations still have a high level of genetic diversity (Douaihy et al., 2011). At higher elevations there are the remnants of ancestral pre-glacial juniper woodlands and there is significant differentiation between Lebanese and Turkish populations; this shows the importance of conservation in different mountain refuges (Douaihy et al., 2011).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Juniperus excelsa and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

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Related publications

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Further reading

Korshikov, I.I. and Nikolaeva, A.V., 2013. Genetic variability of tall junipers (Juniperus excelsa Bieb.) on the northern and southern boundaries of their natural distribution. Cytology and Genetics, 47(3):  156–163.

References

Douaihy, B., Vendramin, G.G., Boratyński, A., Machon, N., and Bou Dagher-Kharrat, M., 2011. High genetic diversity with moderate differentiation in Juniperus excelsa from Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean region. AoB Plants, 2011: plr003. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plr003

Evren, Ö.H. and Kaya, N., 2021. High genetic diversity within and low differentiation among Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. populations: Molecular markers reveal their genetic structure patterns. Turkish Journal of Botany, 45(3): 192–202.

Yücedağ, C. and Gailing, O., 2013. Genetic variation and differentiation in Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. populations in Turkey. Trees, 27: 547–554.

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