Prickly juniper is a small coniferous tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Recognisable by its sharp needle-like leaves and red bark, which peels off in strips. It is heat, cold and drought tolerant, and although it is a slow-growing species, it is very long-lived. Often found in exposed, dry and rocky or sandy soils. It is usually dioecious, with separate male and female plants. So you should plant several trees in order to guarantee pollination and the production of seed.

A juniper 'berry' is the female seed cone. It is not a true berry, but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, and is known as a galbulus. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavour and odour are at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage.

The tree’s wood is durable and hard, and valued for making furniture and other woodwork. A tar called cade oil is extracted from its leaves and branches and used for different medicinal therapies and as a smoky fragrance component in soaps and perfumes.