the "x' portion of a name and potential fruits on cedars

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geneso Seattle, WA Feb 23, 2009

Hello,
Recently I was introduced to two junipers both with an "X" in their latin names, indicating they were crosses of two different species.

I am curious, do crosses reproduce; and would the two junipers I saw have the "fruit" that is a part of their reproduction process?

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Geneso

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Resin Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a) Feb 23, 2009

Most hybrids are fertile, but some aren't; impossible to predict which any one hybrid will be.

Juniper cones are soft, berry-like, purple or red, around 5-10 millimetres diameter depending on the species.

Cedar cones are completely different - hard, woody, barrel-shaped, grey-brown, about 6-11 centimetres long; when ripe they break apart to release the seeds.

Resin

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gooley Hawthorne, FL(Zone 8b) Feb 26, 2009

A lot of junipers are called "cedars," especially in the US. Misnomer, but pretty established.

Resin is right.

Do note that juniper seeds in the "berries" (they are indeed fleshy cones) can be difficult to germinate. Birds are a big help to juniper reproduction in nature, as they eat the "berries" and spew out seeds in their droppings; passage through a bird seems to make the seeds more likely to germinate. Some seeds seem to need cycles of cold and warm to break dormancy whether or not they've been through a bird. I know that some growers basically leave flats of planted seeds outside from fall to spring or even into and through the next fall and spring, taking measures to protect them from rodents and such, keeping them watered and weeded: sometimes that seems necessary to get them to germinate.

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WigglyPaw Hastings, MI(Zone 5b) Feb 28, 2009

There is a lovely juniper we all love to suck on their seeds as we are gargling
gin and tonics. Just lovely. Perfect. s'lovely.
Sheri : )

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