兴安苍柏 xing an yuan bai

Sabina davurica (Pallas) Antoine.

Shrubs procumbent; bark purplish brown; branchlets densely arranged, ca. 1 mm in diam. Leaves both scalelike and needlelike, decussate; needlelike leaves loosely arranged, narrowly lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, (3-)4-6(-9) mm, concave, with broad, white stomatal bands adaxially, arched and obtusely ridged abaxially, apex acuminate or occasionally acute; scalelike leaves densely arranged, 1-3 mm, abaxial gland central, elliptic or oblong. Pollen cones ovoid-oblong, 4-5 mm; microsporophylls 12-18, each with 2-4 pollen sacs. Seed cones borne on curved branchlets, dark brown or bluish purple when ripe, glaucous, irregularly globose, 4-6 × 6-8 mm, 1-4-seeded. Seeds ovoid, 3-5 mm, slightly flattened, apex acute.

Thickets or forests on rocky mountains, sand dunes; 400-1400 m. Heilongjiang [Korea, ?Mongolia, E Russia]

Only subsp. davurica, described here, occurs in China; subsp. maritima Urossov is a decumbent shrub that occurs in E Russia (Primorye). Juniperus davurica is very similar to J. sabina but has both scalelike and needlelike leaves on mature plants; it is probably a variety of that very widespread species; similar specimens have been found in Europe (e.g., Austria: Tirol).