Juniper is a small coniferous tree, often only a low shrub but can grow up to a height of 6m
The bark is reddish, thin and shreddy or scaly, often exfoliating into thin strips. Twigs are yellowish or green when young, turning brown and hardening with age.
Needles are stiff and prickly and are arranged in whorls of 3, they are a bluish colour with a broad white band above and have a pungent but very pleasant odour.
Fruits are 6-9mm in size, fleshy and ovular to globular in shape, used quite often to make gin. They are initially green, ripening to a blue-black colour with a dull bloom in the second or third year.
Juniper grows mainly on dry, rock, wooded hillsides or exposed slopes and prefers a lime rich soil.