Juniperus communis 'Echiniformis' is a highly desireable, dwarf, globose- to flatttened-globose selection of Chinese juniper with very short dense branching, equally dense, bluish green, needle-like, juvenile foliage. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 16 inches (40 cm) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of 1.5 inches (4 cm).
The Hedgehog juniper is a very old stalwart of the nursery trade, first introduced in the late 1880s by S. J. Rinz nursery, Frankfurt Germany. Long ago it was offered as a cultivar of Juniperus communis.