Juniperus seravschanica

Juniperus seravschanica is a species of juniper. Common names include Pashtun juniper (Pashto: اوبښته‎ ōbəx̌ta, "[a species] which sucks water"; Pashto: پښتني صنوبر).

Juniperus seravschanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Juniperus
Section: Juniperus sect. Sabina
Species:
J. seravschanica
Binomial name
Juniperus seravschanica
Distribution of Juniperus excelsa complex
Synonyms
  • Juniperus polycarpos var. seravschanica (Kom.) Kitam.
  • Juniperus macropoda Boiss.

It ranges from southernmost Kazakhstan through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to northern and eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and Kashmir. Outlying populations are found in the mountains of southeastern Iran – near Kuhbanan, Rabor, and on Kuh-e Khabr in the Hazaran range – and the Al Hajar Mountains of Oman.[1][2]

Juniperus seravschanica is sometimes classified as a subspecies of J. polycarpos or J. excelsa.[1][2]

Distribution

Juniperus seravschanica occurs in the higher-elevation forests in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which the World Wildlife Fund calls the 'Gissaro-Alai open woodlands'. In this general region Juniperus turkestanica, J. semiglobosa, maples (Acer spp.), almonds (Prunus amygdalus), and roses (Rosa spp.) also occur (although not necessarily in the same habitats).[3] In eastern Afghanistan it also occurs in upper-montane woodlands of J. seravschanica which occur between 3,100 and 3,300 meters, in the territory the WWF has delineated as 'East Afghan montane conifer forests',[4] and in the open xeric woodlands in between 1,500 and 2,000 meters elevation, in the geographic region further south in southern Afghanistan and Pakistan's Balochistan Province, which the WWF has named the 'Baluchistan xeric woodlands'.[5]

A substantial but dwindling forest of J. seravschanica is found in Ziarat District and Kalat District of Pakistan, as well as Zarghun Ghar near Quetta and Harboi including some are found in Koh-i-Takatu and Koh-i-Murdaar in northern and central Balochistan, and surrounding parts of southeastern Afghanistan. The largest compact block is the Ziarat Juniper Forest near Ziarat on an approximate range of about 700,000 acres (2,800 km2).[6]

The southernmost population of J. seravschanica is in the Al Hajar Mountains of Oman, where the junipers grow in the highest portions of the central range. The junipers form open woodlands between 2,100 and 3,000 meters elevation, sometimes co-dominant with Olea europaea.[7]

Conservation

Overgrazing by camels, goats and feral donkeys has impeded regeneration of woodlands below 2400 meters elevation in Oman.[7]

References
  1. "Juniperus seravschanica". Plants of the World Online. Accessed 5 December 2020.
  2. Adams, R.P., Al-Farsi, A. & Schwarzbach, A.E. (2014). Confirmation of the southern-most population of Juniperus seravschanica in Oman by DNA sequencing of nrDNA and four cpDNA regions Phytologia 96: 218-224.
  3. "Gissaro-Alai open woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  4. "East Afghan montane coniferous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  5. "Baluchistan xeric woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  6. "Pakistanpaedia - Forests of Pakistan (Juniper Forests)". pakistanpaedia.com.
  7. "Al Hajar montane woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
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