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The Flaky juniper (Juniperus squamata) belongs to Cupressaceae (the Cypress family). It is a small evergreen tree that is distributed from northern Afghanistan to the Himalayas, as well as China and Taiwan. It grows in mountainous areas and is 2 to 10 m tall. The bark is brown and the branches are finely branched. The leaves are needle-like and wide, 3 to 9 mm long, 3-wholed, and often glossy blue-green. The fruit is a spherical to ovoid cone 4 to 9 mm long. There are many garden varieties and it is cultivated worldwide. It is called "香青" in Taiwanese and "高山柏" (gaoshan bai) in Chinese. The Japanese name "新高" (Niitaka) is derived from "玉山" (Yu Shan), the highest peak in Taiwan.
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