BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Juniperus maritima
seaside juniper
| Scientific Name: | Juniperus maritima |
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| English Name: | seaside juniper |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S4S5 |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 30, 2019 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | April 30, 2019 |
| Reasons: | Known from at least 13-16 locations, but probably more, Juniperus maritima is considered threatened to vulnerable in BC. It is occurs in a very restricted area over only ca. 5000 square km on SE Vancouver Island. It is probably not imminently or severely threatened in most locations though at least one of them occurs on private land that could be threatened by development. It may be reproductively limited, but that requires further study. It only occurs on the seaside (or lakeside) on granite or sand unlike other species of Juniperus in BC. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | D = 1,000-5,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Using GIS tools, Juniperus maritima occurs over ca. 2098 square km in BC. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | EF = 26-500 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | Using a 2 km x 2 km grid analysis, Juniperus maritima occupies 12 grids (48 sq km). |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | B = 6 - 20 |
| Comments: | This species is known from SE Vancouver Island in BC (Adams 2007). Using Adams (2007) and reports from various observers, there are at least 12 locations in BC, but more expected. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Only four Canadian locations have information about population status (Adams 2007). Only one in four of those locations has apparently good viability. |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Half of the Canadian populations discussed in Adams (2007) are effectively protected from development. They are on First Nations land and in a nature reserve. There are likely other protected occurrences not reported on by Adams as he only discussed four Canadian populations. |
| Population Size: | CD = 250 - 2,500 individuals |
| Comments: | The population consists of hundreds of plants on Lasqueti island, tens of trees at Yellow Point, ca. ten trees in Cowichan Bay, and 6 mature trees at Brentwood Bay (Adams 2007) totalling ca. 200-1000 trees in four locations. Extrapolating to at least 3 x this population size based on at least 3 x as many locations results in ca. 1500 plants (using an avg of ca. 500 plants per location in the known locations). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | Unknown |
| Comments: | Only one of the four Canadian locations reported by Adams (2007) is potentially threatened by private land activities. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | U=Unknown |
| Comments: | One of the Canadian populations reported by Adams (2007) appears not to be reproducing as no seedlings or saplings were observed. This species is potentially limited by reproduction potential. |
| Environmental Specificity: | BC=Narrow to moderate. |
| Comments: | This species only occurs at the seaside (or lakeside) on granite or sand on SE Vancouver Island (Adams 2007). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | Further inventory is required to assess the status of this species in BC. |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | Known sites on private land need to be protected as this species has a very limited distribution in BC. |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Penny, J.L. |
| Date: | January 19, 2009 |
| References | |
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Adams, R. P. 2007. Juniperus maritima, the Seaside Juniper, a new species from Puget Sound, North America. Phytologia 89(3): 263-283.
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Adams, R.P. 2015. Allopatric hybridization and introgression between Juniperus maritima R. P. Adams and J. scopulorum Sarg. II. Additional Evidence from nuclear and cpDNA genes in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. Phytologia (July 1, 2015) 97(3).
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The Gymnosperm Database. 2025. Juniperus maritima. Accessed online April 14th, 2026.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2009. Conservation Status Report: Juniperus maritima. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 5, 2026).