Habitat
native to Japan
cold hardy to zone 4
Habit and Form
evergreen tree
often a multi-trunked tree, with broad irregular growth
up to 100 ft. tall, usually half that, with an equal spread
medium texture
slow growth rate
Summer Foliage
soft flexible texture
2 needles per fasicle
margins serrate
needles twisted and roughly 3-4″ long
bright green in color, looks like they are plastic
needles appear in bunches along the top of the stem
Autumn Foliage
no fall color (remains green)
needles persist 3 years
Flowers
monoecious
no ornamental value
Fruit
tawny yellowish brown cone
oval to oblong, roughly 2″ long
found alone or in clusters
tree has a tendency to hold cones for a 2 years
Bark
young bark peels in thin scales to reveal a reddish color
older bark is gray, typically seen on the main trunk
Culture
needs well-drained and acid soil
full sun
Landscape Uses
interesting multi-trunked growth habit
good accent tree
great addition to a Japanese garden
Liabilities
not salt tolerant, can be a problem when planted near roadways
relatively slow growing
ID Features
needles in 2′s, twisted, soft and serrated
bark peels to reveal a reddish color
tree has a fairly open, multi-trunked growth habit for a pine
bright green needle color with “plastic” look
Propagation
by seed, no treatment is needed for good germination
Cultivars/Varieties
‘Globosa’ – This plant becomes a dwarf rounded mound to 15′ in many years. The needles are short and deep green, with a prostrate, slow-growing trunk.
‘Low Glow’, ‘Little Christopher’ (also known as ‘Rezek’s Witch’s Broom Seedling’) and ‘Tiny Temple’ (also known as ‘Temple’) – These are miniature forms that grow slowly and form tight mounds of deep green needles.
‘Oculis Draconis’ – A favorite among lovers of variegated foliage, the “Dragon’s Eye Pine” is an unusual form that bears needles with alternating bands of green and yellow coloring. When viewed from the proper angle, the foliage resembes a “dragon’s eye”, thus the common name. It forms a large shrub or small tree.
‘Pendula’ – A strong weeper, this cultivar needs training or grafting to maintain it as an upright tree. Otherwise, it can creep over the ground as a prostrate creeper. The needles are deep green and the bark becomes reddish.
‘Umbraculifera’ (also known as ‘Tanyosho’) – Commonly known as “Tanyosho Pine”, this is a popular form. It forms a multi-trunked tree or large shrub to approximately 20′ tall and wide. The habit is vase shaped with an umbrella-like head that becomes flat-topped with age. The bark shows good orange color. It is often employed as a specimen or accent plant, though it can suffer severe damage from heavy snow or ice loading. The plant is cold hardy to USDA zone 3. ‘Umbraculifera Compacta’ and ‘Jane Kluis’ are dwarf forms of the cultivar with similar habit. They reach 4′ to 6′ tall.
{ 0 comments… add one now }