Species of small juniper tree native to western North America, in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, from Washington to North Dakota and Arizona in the U.S., and in Sonora to Coahuila, Mexico. It can be very long-lived, with individuals as old as 1,500 years recorded. It is closely related to Juniperus virginiana, and often hybridizes with it where their ranges meet on the Great Plains. It is used as an ornamental garden plant and medicinally among the Plateau Indian tribes.
