Junipers are evergreen conifers and can form trees or shrubs, depending on the species and the local ecological conditions. In the spontaneous flora of Continental Portugal, we can find four species of this genus.

A few years ago, on a wonderful August late afternoon, with the sun almost setting over the sea (a phenomenon that two thousand years ago led the Romans to the most extraordinary conjectures), while walking along the cliffs of the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park, I was surprised by this creeping beautiful Juniperus turbinata.

We might think it was on the verge of death, but, on the contrary, it was growing perfectly well, fully adapted to local environmental conditions - the wind, generally robust and from the north, does not allow the trees and bushes to have their normal upright configuration. Still, instead, they grow almost horizontally, appearing to crawl over the ground (or they can't even grow).