FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Juniperus communis, juniper

Juniperus communis; it may sound strange but the juniper is the only cone-species that grows wild on Iceland, though many species of pine trees and relatives have been introduced for combatting erosion in forestation programs. The way the juniper grows on Iceland shows adaptation to the climate. Whereas in most regions of Europe this species grows to a tall shrub or small tree in a characteristically column-shape. On Iceland, however, it generally stays low spreading over the ground. The cones form berries after flowering. It takes two years before the berries fully ripe. It is common in most vegetated wilderness regions of Iceland. All photo's are from the Mývatn region. It is a member of the Cupressaceae family