The Juniper Bushes That Make Your Tasty Gin Are Dying, Happy Holidays!
In DepthPrepare to mourn martini and gimlet fans: the juniper plant that produces delicious gin is under attack by a deadly fungus—and so close to the holidays!
A fungal disease called Phytophthora austrocedrae, according to the BBC via a study by Plantlife Scotland, is taking over juniper plants in Scotland and Argentina. The infection targets shrubs that grow in the mountains, wooded areas and moors and turns the usually green-blue needles and purple berries an orange color and then brown. The affected bushes don’t produce new seeds, which is a big problem since Plantlife found that 64% of bushes have brown patches and 79% of the plants are already “mature, old or dead.”
Deborah Long, head of Plantlife Scotland, and Murdo Fraser, a politician for Mid-Scotland are banding together to see how they can save the juniper and also, by default, holiday drinks.
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