Also called ground cedar.
Part of
juniper genus Juniperus
in
cypress / juniper / redwood family Cupressaceae
in
🌲︎ conifer order Pinales.
Native circumpolar through the 🌐︎ Northern Hemisphere: 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇺🇸 USA northern and 🗻︎ mountainous areas, coastal 🇬🇱 Greenland, 🇮🇸 Iceland, 🇪🇺 Europe and Asia.
🗺 Map by county (🇺🇸 USA-48),
🗺 map (scroll down),
🗺 map (North America, Central America). 
Uses by native peoples
(Ethnobotany database)
Juniperus hosts caterpillars of 41 species
of butterflies and moths, in some areas.
Junipers are the ❄ winter host for 🍄︎⚕︎ fungal disease
trellis rust (TR) Gymnosporangium sabinae.
Which then transfers to nearby
🍐︎ pear genus Pyrus
as the ☀︎ summer host. Then back again!
So in areas that may have this disease, do not plant these two hosts within 300 m (1000 ft) of each other! (In most towns, 3 blocks, maybe.)