Juniperus pseudosabina is variable in shape, growing as a shrub or small tree, reaching 1–10 metres (3+1⁄2–33 feet) tall.

The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 4–8 millimetres (3⁄16–5⁄16 inch) long, and adult scale-leaves 1.3–2 mm long on shoots 1.5–2 mm thick.

Juvenile leaves are found mainly on seedlings but mature plants continue to bear some juvenile leaves as well as adult, particularly on shoots damaged by browsing.

The male cones are 2–3 mm long, and shed their pollen in late winter.

[2][3] The plant is native to the mountains of Central Asia in northern Pakistan, northeastern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern Kazakhstan, western China, western Mongolia, and south-central Russia.