Juniperus foetidissima
Stinking juniper

Credit: EUFORGEN

Stinking juniper (Juniperus foetidissima) is a dioecious, wind pollinated, evergreen conifer that grows to around 20 m in height. It is native to southeastern Europe, the Black Sea region, and southwestern Asia as a rare relict species. It thrives in diverse habitats, including dry slopes, rocky areas, limestone crags, and gravel soils, and demonstrates adaptability to various soil types and some drought resistance. It is found in the Balkans Mountains in Albania, Greece and North Macedonia, in the Caucasus Mountains, and on the Crimean Peninsula (Farhat et al., 2023). This endangered species has a special role in the composition and diversity of forests in the west Mediterranean, being highly resistant to adverse environmental conditions, with most surviving populations being in the harshest living conditions (Mohammadi and Gheytaranpour-Sehrigh, 2022).

Its needle-like leaves emit a foul and putrid or foetid smell when crushed, from which the plant gets its name. While not extensively exploited commercially, its wood is durable and of good quality and is used for fuel and smaller constructions. The plant is valued for erosion control.

in situ genetic conservation unit
ex situ genetic conservation unit
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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 foetidissima conservation in Europe

Genetic summary

Within populations, stinking juniper exhibits diverse genetic traits, influenced by factors such as local environmental conditions and adaptation mechanisms. Stinking juniper populations in Armenia show high genetic diversity and variation within populations (Sadykova et al., 2021). Genetic drift has also observed to be low, at least within Iranian populations, showing a low level of isolation or inbreeding (Mohammadi and Gheytaranpour-Sehrigh, 2022).

The species has distinctive genetic markers, allowing for the identification of unique populations and facilitating conservation efforts. Stinking juniper also demonstrates a unique genetic trait, being the only identified hexaploid conifer in the Mediterranean and only the second globally (Farhat et al., 2023). Allopolyploidy, where extra sets of chromosomes come from hybridization between two different species, has driven juniper speciation and diversification and likely contributed to genetic diversity of stinking juniper (Farhat et al., 2023).

 

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

Further relevant genetic traits

Interspecific taxa dynamics

The species status of some junipers is debated. However, the species status of stinking juniper is not, despite its morphological similarities and overlapping habitats with Persian juniper (Juniperus polycarpos) and Greek juniper (Juniperus excelsa) sometimes complicating identification (Sadykova et al., 2021). Stinking juniper is genetically similar to Spanish juniper (Juniperus thurifera), despite their geographical separation. Hybridization of stinking juniper with other juniper species, such as Persian juniper, may have created new species, such as Pashtun juniper (Juniperus seravschanica), which indicates their close relationship and lack of reproductive isolation in the past (Sadykova et al., 2021).

 

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

Genetic conservation

Juniper populations in Europe are declining in size and number in Belgium, England, northern and western Germany, the Netherlands, and the Mediterranean mountains (Proutsos et al., 2021). The main threat to the species appears to be summer droughts reducing regeneration, ecosystem degradation and conversion, reduced reproductive success, and mortality induced by grazing, farming, and wildfires (Proutsos et al., 2021). However, in Europe stinking juniper is more abundant than many other juniper species, forming significant populations in the Greek mountains (Proutsos et al., 2021). Conservation efforts for stinking juniper focus on preserving its genetic diversity through strategies such as seed banking, ex situ cultivation, and habitat protection.

 

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

Genetic Characterisation of Juniperus foetidissima and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

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Related publications

Contacts of experts

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Further reading

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References

Farhat, P., Siljak-Yakovlev, S., Takvorian, N., Bou Dagher Kharrat, M. and Robert, T. 2023. Allopolyploidy: An underestimated driver in Juniperus evolution. Life, 13(7): 1479. doi.org/10.3390/life13071479

Mohammadi, Y. and Gheytaranpour-Sehrigh, S. 2022. Principles of identification and introduction of seed production areas of Arasbaran juniper (Juniperus foetidissima). Iran Nature, 7(1): 59–64.

Proutsos, N., Solomou, A., Karetsos, G., Tsagari, K., Mantakas, G., Kaoukis, K., Bourletsikas, A. and Lyrintzis, G. 2021. The ecological status of Juniperus foetidissima forest stands in the Mt. Oiti-Natura 2000 site in Greece. Sustainability, 13(6): 3544. doi.org/10.3390/su13063544

Sadykova, G.A., Hantemirova, E.V., Polezhaeva, M.A. and Aliev, K.U. 2021. Genetic variability of tree junipers of section Sabina: Data from Dagestan, Armenia, and Crimea. Russian Journal of Genetics, 57: 1223–1228.

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