
About this Juniper
Juniper wood burns with little smoke and so was a favoured source of fire for illicit whisky stills.
Juniper is a shrubby conifer which may be ground-hugging in exposed conditions. In Scottish pinewoods a bushy form grows in the understorey. The small male pollen-bearing cones and the rounded black berry-like female cones occur on separate plants.
Juniper wood burns with little smoke and so was a favoured source of fire for illicit whisky stills.
The berries are a traditional flavouring for gin.
(Image by Gavin Harris)