Iranian long-lived Junipers

Juniperus excelsa is exclusive to mountainous area that distributed in 21 provinces in Iran. It grows in 500-3500 m a.s.l. Tolerance to harsh environmental condition such as temperature variation, broad range of perception, 4-5 months of drought, resistance to weeds and diseases, resistance against wind, storms and heavy snow are characteristic of Juniperus sp.. These characters have caused wide distribution of lots of long-lived junipers in different provinces. Investigation on long-lived Junipers in Iran has shown presence of 44 long-lived tree and shrub species with different frequency. Juniper has the highest frequency (61 stands) followed by platanus and walnut. North Khorasan province (33 stand) has the highest frequency of long-lived Juniper followed by Semnan (12) and (7) Tehran provinces. Adaptability and genetical resistance to environmental stresses, being far from human community and evergreen has made high frequency of long-lived Juniper in Iran. There is no doubt more stand of long-lived Juniper will be identified in future.