Juniper of Netherlands

Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a conifer, one of the few conifers that occur naturally in the Benelux.

The name is a corruption of the juniper Juniperus Latin composed of 'junior' = 'younger' and 'counter' = 'appear'. This refers to the young fruit already ripe fruit appear before the legislature. The drink gin gets its name from the conical fruit.

In Flanders the currant, red currant or black currant sometimes also incorrectly called juniper.

The juniper is dioecious: there are male and female plants. The ripening of 'berry' extends over two years. The female seed scales are blue-black in the first year (dummy) berries. After hibernation, they are dark blue. The shrub up to 10 m tall.

The juniper is the only species in the Netherlands on the Dutch Red List of plants is as common, but significantly decreased in number. The juniper is a legally protected tree in the Netherlands. Much of the Dutch specimens growing on the Veluwe and Drenthe. The Drenthe name "Iber 'or' damberen. There is a residual population in Limburg. The survival of the juniper is important that sufficient copies in the neighborhood and that they remain free, should the wind especially during the flowering Fri game.

Juniper is in the Netherlands on poor sand drifts and heath landscapes. There is currently little or no natural regeneration site. An exception are the approaches of the Dutch Ministry of Defence where the soil is frequently disturbed. The Juniper is a pioneer species whose seeds germinate in mineral soils (ie drifting sands) after several wet years.

Juniper contains oils that are used in bath oil. Also, the cone of fruit used to flavor gin and Benedictine.

The dried cones are used as spices in marinades for game example. Sauerkraut also is traditionally seasoned with juniper. The dried 'berries' are often on sale in supermarkets. Besides the berries, the leaves used, for example, when grilling fish.









Source: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeneverbes

See also: International Flower Delivery, Florist