Ashe juniper

noun

ˈash- 

variants or less commonly ashe juniper

: a dioecious, much-branched juniper (Juniperus ashei synonym J. mexicana) of the south central U.S. and northern Mexico that has an irregular shape, a thin, peeling, gray to reddish-brown bark, and a lightweight, durable wood used especially for fence posts and railroad ties

Dull green Ashe junipers—notorious "cedars" that begin to spew yellowish allergy-inciting pollen right about now—dot the slope …

—Ricardo Gandara, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Dec. 2005

The birds use strips of the shedding bark of mature ashe juniper trees as their primary nesting material.

—Jerry Needham, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Mar. 2006

called also mountain cedar, rock cedar

Word History

Etymology

after William Willard Ashe †1932 U.S. botanist (originally in the species name Juniperus ashei)

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

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