The juniper family includes about 50 species. They are mainly found in the northern hemisphere. The up to 4 meters high J. communis is usually a shrub with blue-green needles, but can grow into a tree.
The flowers are insignificant. Initially wearing green juniper berries, which later fade to black. Previously the province of Drenthe was largely covered with juniper bushes, which are unfortunately largely disappeared.
Only in the nature Mantingerzand you can still find significant ones. The tree yields three types of essential oils: the superior BES branch / needle (= plant) - and wood oil. An inferior oil is distilled from fermented berries as a byproduct of the distillation of gin.
