Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii | Threatened Conifers of the World (en-GB)

Cupressaceae

Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii (Rehd.) Silba

Endemic to China where it is a widespread alpine variety naturally occuring in grazed alpine meadows and high steppe. A change in the grazing regime could result in tree invasion which could reduce the population therefore, it has been assessed as Near Threatened.

Description

Taxonomic Notes:

The distinction between Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii and Juniperus squamata has been a contentious
subject for some time. It was originally described as only a form of J. squamata, but it was treated as a
variety of J. squamata in subsequent arboricultural and floristic literature, and as a cultivar name under
J. squamata in the fourth edition of Dallimore' and Jackson's Handbook of Coniferae and Ginkgo (4th
ed., 1966). It was transferred to Sabina pingii var. wilsonii in FRPS 7 (Cheng and Fu 1978); this became
Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii in Flora of China 4 (1999) and again Sabina pingii var. wilsonii in Higher
Plants of China 3 (Fu et al. 2000). Its morphological differences with J. squamata are mainly in the
leaves, which are more similar to those of J. recurva. In high altitude subalpine meadows (4,000-4,300
m) of Baima Shan, NW Yunnan J. pingii var. wilsonii and J. squamata grow together, sometimes
accompanied by a form that could be a hybrid of the two (A Farjon, pers. obs., September 2000).
Otherwise the two taxa are distinct in this area.

Distribution

Endemic to China: S Gansu, NW Hubei, S Qinghai, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, NW Yunnan, Xizang [Tibet].

Habitat and Ecology

A high altitude variety commonly replacing subalpine coniferous forest or woodland above the tree line,
forming thickets or patchy mats of decumbent juniper among scree, rocks, or in alpine grassland or
steppe. It is frequently growing in the low shrub layer of Juniperus tibetica/ J. convallium woodland, at
the highest altitudes commonly on south-facing slopes. In the high mountains to the E of the Tibetan
Plateau it occurs in juniper thickets or patches at or above the tree line, with Juniperus squamata, J.
saltuaria and Larix potaninii as the most common conifers, and Rhododendron and other shrubs.
Occasionally it is found along streams with Salix, Rhododendron, Spiraea and Prunus serrula, in steppe
pasture with Seriphidium (Artemisia), Berberis, Carex and grasses. It grows on a variety of rock
substrates and alpine steppe soils. The climate is cold alpine, with some monsoon influence mainly
bringing snow.

Human Uses

No uses have been recorded for this variety.

Conservation Status

Global Status & Rationale

Near Threatened

This widespread alpine variety naturally occurs in grazed alpine meadows and high steppe. The impact
of grazing animals is therefore likely to be low in most places. Cessation of grazing, e.g. in the strict
reserve of Baima Shan, Yunnan, results in tree invasion (e.g. Larix potaninii) which could reduce the area
of occupancy locally. It is therefore thought appropriate to assess it as Near Threatened until better
information becomes available, it is almost threatened under criterion B2ab(ii,iii).

Conservation Actions

No specific conservation measures or actions are known for this variety.

References and further reading

Adams, R.P. 2011. Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus. Trafford Publishing Co., Bloomington,Indiana.
Farjon, A. 2010. Conifer Database (June 2008) In Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2010 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., eds). Reading, UK. Available at: http://www.catalogueoflife.org/.
Farjon, A. 2010. A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Li, N., Carter, G. & Farjon, A. 2013. Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species2013: e.T191605A1991147. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.