Juniperus squamata - Flaky juniper is found throughout the Himalayan Plateau stretching from Afghanistan across to Central China and ranging between 1,300 to 4,800 meter in altitudes. The cone of the flaky juniper has the appearance of a berry and contains only one seed. Cones are the structures of conifer trees containing either the seeds or pollen for reproduction. The woody cones are the female structures holding the seeds. The males cones are less conspicuous and carry the pollen.
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The Kushan Empire was founded by Kujula Kadphises in the 1st century and was based near the Amu River and later at Kabul. The Kushan Empire reached its peak under Kanishka the Great. Under his reign, the boundaries of the empire were pushed from Southern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to Northern India and from Pakistan to Western China. The empire began to fracture into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century and fell into permanent decline with the arrival of the Sassanians.
