Juniper berries are the female seed cone of the juniper tree. It is a fleshy cone, with merged scales, thus having a berry like appearance. These berries are green in color at a young stage, but later, when they mature, they turn purple-black in color. The juniper berries belong to the family of N.O.Coniferae. Its botanical name is Juniperus communis. It is a since, due to the presence of a primary flavoring agent in gin.