Juniperus squamata (flaky juniper, "Niitakabyakushin")

Japanese name: ニイタカビャクシン （新高柏槇）
Scientific name: Juniperus squamata

[Overview]
An evergreen conifer, often a creeping shrub, but sometimes growing upright into a small tree about 12 m tall.
The bark peels off in thin vertical strips.
It produces dense branches.
The leaves are borne in whorls of 3, usually bluish green, 0.5–1 cm long, straight or slightly curved, broadly needle-like, with pointed tips.
The upper surface of the leaf has white, groove-like stomatal bands.
It is usually dioecious.
In the male flowers the stamens are gathered into an ovoid cluster, and the female flowers consist of 3 or 6 ovule scales.
The cone is fleshy and berry-like, ovoid or nearly spherical, 0.5–1 cm in diameter, ripening to glossy black or blue-black in autumn of the following year, and contains 1 seed.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, slightly dry soil.
Take care not to overwater; for potted plants, and for plants in the ground less than 2 years after planting, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, while for established plants in the ground rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter, and place slow-release chemical fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
Pests and diseases include pear rust and scale insects.

[Notes]
Pear rust is a serious disease of Nashi, and because Byakushin plants serve as the intermediate host of pear rust, some local governments restrict the planting of Byakushin plants near Nashi orchards.

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