Alligator Juniper N.M.

The alligator juniper in this photo was taken at historic New Mexico’s Fort Bayard. It may be the largest alligator juniper you will ever see. This big alligator juniper tree is ranked as the second largest in the nation. Its circumference is 18 ft. 4 in, crown spread is 62 ft., and height is 63 ft. It has been estimated that it is over 1,000 years old.

Alligator Juniper – “Juniperus Pachyphloea” (or juniperus deppeana), is named after its bark pattern that looks like the alligator skin. Many people identify it upon smelling a piece of cut wood as a cedar. It is also known as mountain cedar in Texas, oak-barked cedar in Arizona, and checker-board cedar in other places.
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