Woody > Pinus > Pinus pumila > Pinus pumila
Pinus pumila
Siberian Dwarf Pine, Japanese Stone Pine
Origin: East Asia.
Mike's
Opinion
"
A beautiful, low-growing pine native to East Asian mountain sides. Its blue-green foliage and colourful cones keep interest year-round, and it has a unique shape for a pine. It is great for use in a rock garden but also does well as a mass planting; although, it is prone to a numerous amount of pests and diseases. Pinaceae pumila was put on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species in the category LC (Least Concern) in 1998 but has yet to be updated since.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Pinus |
| Species |
| pumila |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3–8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2b–7a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -40-(-7) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -40-20 |
| Height |
| 0.5–3 (5) m |
| Spread |
| 1–̶̶̶3 (5) m |
Photographs
Cultivars
click to expand
.jpg "Pinus pumila Draijers Dwarf ws (1).jpg")
.jpg "Pinus pumila Glauca ws (1).jpg")
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A multi-stemmed, dwarf conifer with yellow-brown to red-purple cones and blue-green foliage. Also, the wood, resin and sawdust can cause dermatitis in people who are sensitive. |
| Landscape |
| Typically used in rock gardens or as mass planting. |
| Cultivation |
| P. pumila is best cultivated in well-drained soils, standing in full sun. |
| Shape |
| Multi-stemmed, spreading, with a slightly dense, loosely oval form. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| The blue-green dense foliage, its small size and unique form (for a pine). |
| Pests |
| Can be susceptible to bark beetles, blight, blister rust, canker, damping off, dieback, root rot, pine needle miner, pine weevil, pinewood nematode and scale. |
| Habitat |
| Higher elevations on mountainside in eastern Asia. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Bark is typically grey-brown in colour, with its branchlets initially brown, changing to a dark red-brown after 2–3 years and is densely pubescent. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Developed in the winter and are red-brown with a conical-ovoid shape and are slightly resinous. |
| Leaf Description |
| Needles that are 3.5–7.5 cm in length each, densely arranged around the stem in fascicles of 5 with a blue-green colour. |
| Fruit Description |
| Ovoid, seed-bearing cones that are 2.5–5 cm in length. Violet-purple colour throughout the year, ripening to red-brown or yellow-brown if female, and bright red-purple if male in the spring. |
| Colour Description |
| Lovely blue-green foliage throughout the year with red-purple or yellow-brown cones in spring, and violet-purple cones for the rest of the year. |
| Texture Description |
| Densely pubescent bark maintained throughout its life span. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Whistling Gardens, Wilsonville, Ontario, Canada. The Arboretum and Botanical Garden of the University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. |
| Propagation |
| Sow the seeds in individual pots in a cold frame once it is ripe or in late winter. Stratifying the seed for 6 weeks will help to improve the germination of the seed, plant the seedlings in their permanent places as soon as possible but protect them from the first couple of winter seasons. |
References
Brickell, C. Encyclopedia of plants & flowers. 3rd ed. London, England: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2011. Print.
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