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Rieteklis Juniper (Rietekļa kadiķis)

Rieteklis Juniper in August 2007
Rieteklis Juniper in August 2007. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

WorldBlue  In short

The largest juniper in Latvia is Rieteklis Juniper (Rietekļa kadiķis, also Baložu kadiķis) with a circumference of 3.12 m. Junipers always are beautiful but this one is… next-level beautiful!

37.9 %

GPS coordinates
57.5906 N 25.5319 E
Location, address
Europe, Latvia, Vidzeme, Valmiera municipality, Valmiera parish, at Baloži farmstead
Name in Latvian
Rietekļa kadiķis
Alternate names
Baložu kadiķis (named after the nearby farmstead), Rietekļa paeglis, Baložu paeglis
Species
Commons juniper (Juniperus communis L.)
Circumference
3.12 m
Height
9.3 m

Map of the site

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WorldYellow In detail

Trunk of Rieteklis Juniper, August 2007
Trunk of Rieteklis Juniper, August 2007. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

The largest juniper in Latvia is also one of the most unusual and beautiful trees in Latvia – Rieteklis Juniper.

This tree in August 2015 had a circumference of 3.12 m, measured at the height of 1.3 m along the axis of this slanted tree.

Rieteklis Juniper, August 2007
Rieteklis Juniper, August 2007. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

This beautiful tree is known for a long time and images before World War II show that Rieteklis Juniper was standing vertically or near vertically. Now it is slanted and, it seems, continues to fall towards north-east.

The juniper is named after love poet Rieteklis (1856-1940) who lived in the nearby Baloži farmstead and loved the beautiful juniper in his property.

It is possible that this is the largest juniper in Europe north of Alps.

References
  1. Diži koki. Rietekļa jeb Baložu kadiķis, Dziedava.lv. Accessed on December 24, 2022.

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