diff --git a/docs/junit.html b/docs/junit.html
index ff9774a48..3165109d7 100644
--- a/docs/junit.html
+++ b/docs/junit.html
@@ -70,8 +70,10 @@ elements</a>.</p>
 
 <p><code>junit</code> supports a nested <code>&lt;classpath&gt;</code>
 element, that represents a <a href="index.html#path">PATH like
-structure</a>. The value is ignore if <code>fork</code> is
-disabled.</p>
+structure</a>. PATHs defined elsewhere can be <a
+href="index.html#references">referred</a> to via nested
+<code>&lt;classpathref&gt;</code> elements. The value is ignored if
+<code>fork</code> is disabled.</p>
 
 <h4>jvmarg</h4>
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
index 76de6db82..f1832ed8a 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.*;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Commandline;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.CommandlineJava;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Path;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Reference;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ import java.util.Vector;
 public class JUnitTask extends Task {
 
     private CommandlineJava commandline = new CommandlineJava();
+    private Vector classpathReferences = new Vector();
     private Vector tests = new Vector();
     private Vector batchTests = new Vector();
     private Vector formatters = new Vector();
@@ -132,6 +134,14 @@ public class JUnitTask extends Task {
 	return commandline.createVmArgument();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Adds a reference to a CLASSPATH defined elsewhere - nested
+     * <classpathref> element.
+     */
+    public void addClasspathRef(Reference r) {
+        classpathReferences.addElement(r);
+    }
+
     public Path createClasspath() {
         return commandline.createClasspath(project);
     }
@@ -170,6 +180,19 @@ public class JUnitTask extends Task {
         boolean errorOccurred = false;
         boolean failureOccurred = false;
 
+        Path classpath = commandline.createClasspath(project);
+        for (int i=0; i<classpathReferences.size(); i++) {
+            Reference r = (Reference) classpathReferences.elementAt(i);
+            Object o = r.getReferencedObject(project);
+            if (o instanceof Path) {
+                classpath.append((Path) o);
+            } else {
+                String msg = r.getRefId()+" doesn\'t denote a classpath";
+                throw new BuildException(msg, location);
+            }
+        }
+        
+
         Enumeration list = batchTests.elements();
         while (list.hasMoreElements()) {
             BatchTest test = (BatchTest)list.nextElement();