Common Names
Common juniper, dwarf juniper, gorst, ground juniper, hackmatack, horse savin, juniper, juniper bush, prostrate juniper.

Description
A small evergreen shrub or tree 12 to 30 feet in height, low and spreading or upright. The bark of trunk is shreddy and reddish brown. Needles are straight, sharp-pointed, ridged, and nearly at right angles to branchlets. Dark purple fruit is round, fleshy, berry-like, and about ¼ inch in diameter.

Flowering Period
March.

Habitat
Dry soil.

Harvest
Fruit in fall and winter.

Uses
The fruit is used commercially in flavoring gin, and has value as a diuretic and urinary antiseptic. In Europe, it is used to treat arteriosclerosis.