Juniperus spp. of the family Ephedraceae. There are at least 5 dozen species in the genus Juniperus that have the word juniper as all or part of one or more of their common names, and I have no idea which of them are represented on this page except as specifically noted. Regions of growth are worldwide. ADDITIONALLY, there are another 16 or more species from almost as many genera that also have the word juniper as all or part of one or more of their common names. It is my intent (and I do NOT know that I have been successful) that the woods on this page all be from the genus Juniperus.
Some types of juniper look a lot like aromatic red cedar (a close relative) and some look quite a bit like yew.
my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions
both sides of a sample plank of Western Juniper / Juniperus occidentalis
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Western juniper / Juniperus occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Western juniper / Juniperus occidentalis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of prickly juniper / Juniperus oxycedrus --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This species is also known as Mediterranean juniper.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of prickly juniper / Juniperus oxycedrus --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of prickly juniper / Juniperus oxycedrus --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This species is also known as Mediterranean juniper.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Eastern prickly juniper / Juniperus deltoides --- HUGE enlargements are present.
both sides of a sample plank of Rocky Mountain juniper / Juniperus scopulorum --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Rocky Mountain juniper / Juniperus scopulorum --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Ashe juniper / Juniperus ashei --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Utah juniper / Juniperus osteosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. At a quick glance, this could easily be mistaken for yew or olive.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Utah juniper / Juniperus osteosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Utah juniper / Juniperus osteosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Utah juniper / Juniperus osteosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of oneseed juniper / Juniperus monosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of oneseed juniper / Juniperus monosperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Chinese juniper / Juniperus chinensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Burmuda juniper / Juniperus bermudiana--- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Pinchot juniper / Juniperus pinchotii --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
first face and the end grain of a sample of Bermuda juniper (listed as florida cedar) / Juniperus bermudiana --- This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION G
the second face, before and after sanding it down a bit, showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.
end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above
small piece of Western juniper that was listed as Western red cedar and could be any one of a number of Juniperus species.
a small piece listed as "New Mexico" juniper but that's not a standard designation so presumably just based on where it was harvested and it could be any one of a number of Juniperus species.
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis, also listed as yellow cedar) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
California juniper (Juniperus californica, also listed as sweet fruited juniper) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views
Very likely the heartwood started off fairly reddish but has faded over time
web pics:
log ends and a plaque --- these are unusually red, I'm not sure if color is accurate or exaggerated
log end of Western juniper / Juniperus occidentalis
juniper slabs
planks
planks ... even if moistened of the pics (which I'm sure they were) these seem to be unusually bright red
plank end grain listed as Rocky Mountain juniper / Juniperus scopulorum
plank listed as Arabian juniper / Juniperus phoenicea
planks listed as scrub juniper / Juniperus communis
plank listed as "bird's eye"
end grain of a piece listed as Juniperus oxycedrus with the common name prickly juniper
Corsican juniper cookie. This pic was contributed by Iain Rankin, whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Don't know the size. Iain tells me this is the hardest softwood he has ever encountered. It is used for knife handles, among other things. I'm not sure what the species is since I cannot find a reliable source for the name Corsican juniper. I have it anecdotally that it might be Juniperus communis but my database does not associate "Corsican" with that species. More likely it is Juniperus oxycedrus / Mediterranean juniper.
end grain scales
pen blanks listed as mountain juniper
moistened pen blanks
two views of turning stock
plank listed as Western juniper
plank listed as Chinese juniper
scales
stabilized juniper scales
turning stock
four views of the same piece of turning stock
judging from the bowl below, this must be an attractive wood but you wouldn't know it by looking at this picture. This is a very low-quality picture, so I have not provided an enlargement
a ha! this is more like it. the bowl below clearly was made from a piece more like this one than the one directly above. On the other hand, this piece looks EXACTLY like aromatic red cedar, so may have been mislabeled.
bowls
two views of a bowl
bowl made from juniper. It is about 3.5" in diameter and under 2" tall and has a finish of wax over polyurethane.
bowl listed as Hollywood juniper
bowl blank, waxed and very red --- I wonder if that's at least partially an effect of the camera, not the wood
table and bench
finger rings
two views of a small cup (about the size of a regular styrofoam cup). The pics were provided by Mark Freeland who tells me he used boiled lindseed oil then blond shellac as finishes and buffed it. Thanks Mark. Enlargements are present and they show the grain even better.
juniper cup
bowl listed as juniper burl
rocker
sculpture
table
trivet
lamps
juniper gun cabinet
table bottom --- wish I had the pic of the top, but couldn't find it.
juniper burl knife handle
box and letter holder made from juniper root burl --- looks very similar to camphor burl
pen turned from juniper / Juniperus spp. Photograph contributed to the site by the pen turner, Bruce Selyem, whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The pen is finished with shellwax.
Two statues and a tea set listed as Chinese juniper (presumably Juniperus chinensis) --- enlargements are present
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