Juniperus rigida var. conferta = J. conferta

Juniperus rigida 'Akebono'
lc:white-tipped, actually white or white-speckled, becoming white.
ns: this plant is known from the Raulston Arboretum c. 1990 where 'Hikari' (see below) is
ns: also grown. It is an erect plant and clearly not J. conferta 'Akebono'.  It is
ns: not clearly different from 'Hikari' but if anything is paler and less colorful. But
ns: given that both plants are now heavily shaded, it is hard to compare them
ns: in a good phenotype.

Juniperus rigida 'Filiformis'
ha: branches elongated, thread-like, pendulous
or: Japan
in:L Macimowicz to St. Petersburg, Russia before 1909

Juniperus rigida var. nipponica (Maxim.) Wilson
ha: prostrate, spreading
ll: shorter, some just 6-10mm long (they are easily 10-25mm in species and 'Pendula')
frt: seeds mostly solitary (var. rigida usually has 2-3 seed) - this may be a case for species rank!
geo: mountains of Japan
in: E.H. Wilson to Arnold Arboretum 1915

'Pendula' - click image to enlarge
Boxerwood Gardens, Lexington, Virginia US. Summer 2003. An tall grand old plant. There are bigger ones in the US but few much more intact
and picturesque. I tend to prefer examples of the cultivar which have had a little bad luck and lost the occasional limb. They have a more
picturesque aspect after recovering. Sadly, some loose their tops and never come out right again.

Juniperus rigida 'Pendula' provisional name
ha: distinctly pendulous with secondary limbs handing down vertically.
ha: The species has conical and more erect forms in the wild with only the
ha: very tips pendulous or slightly nodding.
lc: rich olive-green, more yellowish than the mature foliage of 'Hikari' for
lc: example. Plants in colder areas bronze slightly but never as would
lc: J. communis cultivars.
ns: From Wilson's photographs of the original populations it appears
ns: only some plants are this pendulous. It is logical he or someone
ns: introduced this female clone with extreme pendulous nature. Such a
ns: very appealing plant would gain popularity quickly Judging from a
ns: truly rigid, tip-nodding plant of the species at the US National
ns: Arboretum this clone is vastly superior for color and beauty. As
ns: it is always female (in our experience) and is vegetativel
ns: propagated this old cultivar name has merit. The name does not
ns: appear to have valid publication before 1959 and may require
ns: a rename.
id: The 1998 RHS checklist suggests it might be J. communis
id: 'Oblonga Pendula' but we have never seen a plant in the US
id: referrable to that species. There is a remote possibility this
id: is the Japanese clone 'Filiformis' (see above). Our American
id: examples of 'Pendula' are quite often thread-like in part.
sex: female - cones are often numerous after 10 years or so.

'Hikari' click image to enlarge
Dawes Arboretum. August 2003. Note the interesting multi-stemmed, spreading-horizontal branching that gives this plant a different and open
look for a juniper.

'Hikari' click image to enlarge
Same plant as above but close up, showng the handiwork of a spider early in the morning.

Juniperus rigida 'Hikari'
lc: gold-tipped by literature but actually ivory or cream, appearing white from a distance.

Juniperus rigida 'Shirya-tosho'
ns: a listed name from Japan. We have not seen it and do not believe it in US collections in 2003.
in: known in Germany since 1978 per Lewis' RHS Checklist (1998)

Juniperus rigida 'Spiraliter Falcata'
lt: needles slightly curved or sickle-shaped
or: Japanese gardens before 1906

Juniperus rigida 'Wansdyke Spreader'
ha: prostrate, spreading
ll: said to be typical and not short as in spreading var. nipponica - we have not seen it to confirm this.
or: Artiaki Arboretum, Japan before 1975.
in: H. Welch, Wansdyke Nursery, England, probably early 1980's.
li: Welch, H.J. (undated in 1980's). Novelties for inclusion in 2nd edition. 14
li: as 'NEW NAME' without description.