Juniper berry Juniper berry A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially "Juniperus communis", are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavour. Juniper berries may be the only spice derived from conifers. All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. In addition to "J. communis", other edible species include "Juniperus drupacea", "Juniperus phoenicea",
East Deccan dry evergreen forests remaining forests are now characterized by areas of leathery-leaved evergreen forest, with a relatively low (10-meter) closed canopy. Predominant species are "Manilkara hexandra", "Mimusops elengi", Ceylon ebony ("Diospyros ebenum"), strychnine tree ("Strychnos nux-vomica"), "Eugenia" spp., "Drypetes sepiaria", and "Flacourtia indica". A few small enclaves of deciduous Sal forest exist, but are under intensive human pressure. Only five percent of the ecoregion remains in forest, which is found in isolated pockets. Most of the ecoregion's forests have been degraded into tropical dry evergreen scrublands, characterized by thorny species such as "Ziziphus glaberrima", "Dichrostachys cinerea", "Catunaregam spinosa", and "Carissa spinarum". Mammals found