Juniperus communis Linnaeus var. montana Aiton (1789), not Neilreich (1859); J. communis var. nana (Willdenow) Baumgarten; J. communis var. saxatilis Pallas; J. nana Willdenow.

Shrubs procumbent, to 70 cm; branchlets densely arranged, 3-angled, thick, ca. 2 mm in diam. Leaves in whorls of 3, ascending, lanceolate or linear, usually subfalcate, 4-10 × 1-2 mm, slightly concave adaxially with a single white stomatal band broader than green marginal bands, keeled abaxially, base jointed, not decurrent. Pollen cones axillary, subglobose or ellipsoid, 3-5 mm; microsporophylls 9-12, each with 3-6 pollen sacs. Seed cones brownish black when ripe, glaucous, globose or subglobose, 4-7 mm in diam. Seeds 1-3 per cone, 3-4 mm.

Records of Juniperus communis Linnaeus from China (e.g., in FRPS) are probably referable to J. sibirica (which some authors treat as J. communis var. saxatilis); however, typical J. communis is distributed from Europe to Siberia, E to the Amur River.

Mountain areas; 600-4200 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Xinjiang, Xizang [Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Russia (Far East, Siberia); C and W Asia to W Himalaya, Europe, W North America]