well, i guess that what i get for asking! LOL to each his own.

i like it. i do not like "buns" and i cant grow most of them anyway in our heat and humidity. i like the compact, landscape bonsai look....and they take up less space than the standard species. here, most juniperus virginiana would be 5 times the size in the same amount of time.

It probably incurred some damage probably in its early years of growth.

"most juniperus virginiana would be 5 times the size in the same amount of time"...true...I have about 12 about 35-40 ft. tall.

Dave

Looks like a dwarf form. It must be grafted if you wish to propagate it. They don't root worth a damn.

Dax

ok dave.. a little opinionated today ... lol ...

its a nice weird oddity .... i always appreciate the natural looking plant...

that said.. it is way too massive for that minuscule yard ... its ugly ... and it has trees growing out of it.. so i know where dave is coming from ... lol

i suppose that is a LITTLE ... just a little ... bit more diplomatic than dave.. ROTFLMBO ....

thanks for the pic.. i appreciate the hunt you seem to usually be on .. to find large plants around the 'hood ... keep up the good work!!!!1

have a great day..

ken

PS: dave .. you nearly owned me a new monitor for the coffee i spit thru my nose when i read your thoughtful words .... THANK GOD you didnt tell us how you really felt about it ....

thanks ken, diplomacy is a very admirable trait ;)

yes, the tree is not in a well-maintained situation. in fact, the cedar trees were the only trees in the yard. they were planted as chance seedlings and one turned out to be dwarf.

my work takes me all around the area and i always keep my eyes open for odd and unusual plants....camera in hand. LOL

Yes Ken I was a little off dead center in my reply and I do apologize to plantaholic.

As plantaholic says " to each his own" and I appreciate the fact he/she was more diplomatic then me in the come back.

To me that cow pasture Juniper was just awful looking. No question... suffered abuse and negligence for many years. In my opinion that is not a dwarf...just a junked up juniper that lost its main trunk a had no place to go but wide. I think close inspection will verify that.

If I lived one state closer I would come and cut it down for nothing.

Juniperus virginiana...a great conifer when intact.

Ken...never drink coffee around keyboards or monitors.

Dave

Hey, I kinda think it's interesting :) It does have a consistent shape, too.

But yes, it seems possible that the original plant was physically damaged somehow to cause the weird growth, vs. being something chromosome-related.

Thanks for posting! I've seen may of these trees here where I live, but none quite like this.

-James

We have examples similar to this in the prairie as you leave the woods of east Texas behind traveling west. Normally they would be somewhat bigger at 25 yrs, but the shape is very familiar.
I attribute it to ERC genetics and full sun exposure. The tree's genetics are such that it will not grow taller when it can get all the sun it needs right where its at.
Not the normal shape for ERC even out here, but certainly not a rarity.

If it has no central axis but consists entirely of all the small stems visible in the picture that could suggest it is in fact a genetic dwarf, that might produce similar specimens when grafted.

As long as the root-stocks used did not impart increased vigor and a resulting change in character.

Actually, it appears to have a central axis, its just that its not very dominant over the branches. It is taller in the center. Sort of a lazy central leader. Tree gets all it needs so why grow.
Believe that this tendency is present in some ERC genetics but that environment usually forces it to grow taller.

Somebody is correct in their assumption here...either damage or genetics.

A close up photo of the top 1/3 would probably resolve this issue and take the guess work out of it.

At any rate if you could fine enough of them with the same growing trait they would make a tight hedge that nothing could pass through.

Dave

ill go back and get some close-up pics and ill see if i can get more info on the tree. (ie....always been compact?, any damage?, etc)

previous discussions the other day indicated the plant has always been small compared to the other cedars planted there.