Gum Bumelia
Sideroxylon lanuginosum Small tree Zones 5–10 15–45 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Utah Juniper
Juniperus osteosperma. Small tree, 10 to 39 feet, zones 3 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry or average ground.
We do not grow Utah juniper, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Bigberry juniper, desert juniper, desert cedar |
|---|---|
| Form | Small tree |
| Height, feet | 10 to 39; up to 45 in its native stands |
| Spread, feet | Up to 20 |
| Zones | 3 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Growth | Slow |
| Leaves | Evergreen |
| Traits | Wildlife value |
| Pollen | March to April |
| Fruit | Berries, September to March |
| First crop | About 30 years |
| Pollination | Not known whether one bears alone |
| Lifespan | The oldest tree dated by its rings reached 1,967 years. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Dry uplands and rocky ground |
| Native in | 9 states |
Utah juniper is native in 9 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from the Fire Effects Information System and the Gymnosperm Database.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it sheds pollen and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of Utah juniper's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Little Walnut
Juglans microcarpa Small tree Zones 5–9 20–30 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Hop Hornbeam
Ostrya virginiana Medium tree Zones 3–9 25–40 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Western Soapberry
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii Medium tree Zones 5–9 20–50 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Chinquapin Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–60 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana Medium tree Zones 2–9 30–50 ft
Shares dry uplands and rocky ground in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the Wildflower Center, Cal Poly's SelecTree, Oregon State University's Landscape Plants, Utah State University Extension, Colorado State University Extension, Calscape, the Jepson eFlora, the Gymnosperm Database and Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research.