Japanese white pine seeds

Habitat

native to Japan
zone 4 to 7
Habit and Form

evergreen needle conifer tree; small to medium size
25 to 50′ tall in U.S.
as wide as tall
young trees dense and conical
older trees develop picturesque form
become flat-topped with lower branches shorter than upper branches

Summer Foliage

needles in 5′s
1.5 to 2.5″ long, stiff and twisted
appear in brush-like tuft on branches
bluish-green color

Autumn Foliage

same as summer foliage
Flowers

blooms in May
small, yellow-green flowers in clusters
Fruit

brownish-red 1.5 to 4″ cones
persist 6 or more years
often produced in abundance evergreen on young trees

Bark

smooth, gray when young
stems greenish-brown, very slightly downy first year
older bark dark gray, and scaly platy

Culture

full sun is best
relatively tolerant of most soils as long as well-drained
somewhat salt tolerant
Landscape Uses

specimen
excellent needle evergreen for small residences
especially effective in groups of 3 or 4
useful along the coast because salt tolerant
Liabilities

somewhat slow growing
can suffer from the usual gamet of pine diseases, insects, disorders, but typically not badly bothered
ID Features

needles in 5′s
blue-green, twisted needles, in brush-like clusters
unique spreading, flat-topped mature form
short “White Pine” type cones
Propagation

seed moist stratified for 3 months
cultivars grafted
Cultivars/Varieties

‘Adcock’s Dwarf’ – A slow-growing bonsai-esque novelty, this 3′ upright globe bears small needles clustered about the branch tips.

‘Bergman’ (also listed as ‘Bergmani’) – This architectural, compact upright form displays slightly twisted, blue-green needles. It forms a shrub or small tree.

‘Glauca’ – A very common form that grows to become a small to medium tree, this selection bears long twisted needles with bright blue color. A natural bonsai, the plant grows open with irregular branching. It usually displays a heavy crop of ornamental cones. ‘Glauca Nana’ is similar, but the plant is narrower with ascending branches; ‘Glauca Brevifolia’ has shorter, more curved needles with an open habit.

‘Ogon Janome’ – This is a rare variegated “Dragon’s Eye” form with bands of yellow on the needles. ‘Goldilocks’ also bears colored needles, though in this case the blue needles have an overlay of yellow.