It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

The tree reaches 10–15 metres (33–49 feet), rarely 25 m (82 ft), in height.

The bark is usually very distinctive, unlike other junipers, hard, dark gray-brown, cracked into small square plates superficially resembling alligator skin; it is however sometimes like other junipers, with stringy vertical fissuring.

The cones are berrylike, 7–15 mm (1⁄4–9⁄16 in) wide, green when young and maturing to orange-brown with a whitish waxy bloom,.

There are five varieties, not accepted as distinct by all authorities: Native American[clarification needed] names include táscate and tláscal.