Japanese Red Pine
Pinus densiflora
Height 40-60 feet spread
about the same
Japanese
Red Pine is a relative newcomer in the retail landscape market
though it was brought to this country in the mid 1800's. It's
native area is Japan, Korea and China.
Habitat- Quite a bit hardier than the
Japanese Black Pine having been grown here at Porcupine Hollow
for the last six years I have never seen any winter damage with
winter temperatures as low as minus 14 degrees F. Hardiness
zones are 3b to 7. The Japanese red pine can be grown in a
variety of soil types ranging from clay to sand but it does
require well drained acidic soil. Do not plant where winter salt
spray will hit it. For those situations plant Austrian pine. In
the states it is generally grown as a focal point or centerpiece
as it can acquire that oriental look as it ages and that
beautiful red-orange bark on a twisted multi-trunked pine. Look
for a sunny location if possible. The Japanese red pine has a
slow growth rate as compared to a white pine. If you grow bonsai
then this will be one for your collection.
Leaves- This is a 2
needle pine with 4-6" slender, twisted, dark green needles that last
three years, grown on somewhat brittle branches. This is one of the
coarser needled pines with needles similar to our American red pine.
The needles tend to yellow in the winter.
Flowers- The flowers of the
Japanese red pine are of both sexes, yellow and for the most
part inconspicuous.
Fruit-
The cones are brown, persistent for up to 2 years, somewhat
inconspicuous, 1-2" long opening in the 2nd year.
Winter Buds- Brown, 1/2" with the
sticky resin about.
Bark-
The trunk can be showy, trained to a single trunk, orange red
when young and tending to be platy and somewhat darker when
mature.
Wood- The
wood of a Japanese red pine is probably similar to our pines, a
soft wood. In Japan it is grown for timber.
Pests- Normally a pest free tree
but can be bothered by needle blight, sawflies and needlecast.
Distribution- The Japanese red pine
can be grown as far south as coastal Virginia to Raleigh NC to
Northern Georgia, Alabama, northern Texas.
Cultivars-There are
about ten cultivars of Japanese red pine with the Pendula as
one of the nicer varieties with it's weeping form.
Porcupine Hollow sells seedling and container grown Japanese red
pine. The seedlings can be shipped by UPS but the container
grown pines must be picked up at the farm. The seedlings are
shipped in minimum quantities of 1. You may also want to check
out our Japanese black pine and our Himalayan white pine.
For seedling Japanese red pine prices
click here and
scroll down to Pine-Japanese red
