Pine, Japanese Black
Pinus thunbergiana or thunbergii
Pinaceae - Pine

Description

Leaves: Needles in bundles of 2; 2" to 4" long; stiff; dark green; evergreen, remain on tree 3 to 5 years.

Twigs/buds: Light brown, hairless, and ridged in first year; blackish-gray thereafter. Buds gray, silvery white, or light reddish-brown; egg-shaped to cylindrical, pointed, large (1/2" to 3/4" in length), not resinous, fringed; lying flat against twig.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious. Fruit a woody cone; 1-1/2" to 2-1/2" long; brown; scale tips rounded or with a very small prickle.

Bark: Grayish-yellow or dark gray scaly plates on mature trunks like P. nigra; bark can become strikingly black (hence, its common name).

Wood: Soft, lightweight; used for lumber and building houses in Japan; inferior to P. densiflora; little information available.

General: Native to Japan. Also called Pinus thunbergii. Medium to large, tough tree. Salt and drought tolerant; shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: Could be used more to vary our choices in pines. Does well in Utah. Nice dark green foliage. Somewhat irregular shape, but many cultivars available. Zones 5-9.

Cultivars: 'Compacta', 'Globosa', 'Iseli', 'Kotobuki', 'Majestic Beauty', 'Mini Mounds', 'Mt. Hood Prostrate', 'Oculus Draconis', 'Pygmaea', 'Shioguro', 'Thunderhead'.

Characteristics

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