Pinus pumila Seeds | Japanese Stone Pine
LATIN NAME: Pinus pumila
COMMON NAME: Japanese Stone Pine
Plant Profile
A distinctive member of its genus, Japanese Stone Pine (Pinus pumila) is an evergreen shrub in the family Pinaceae, native to Japan and korea. It grows slowly into wide, low mound, and it stands cold, wind and poor soil well. It likes sun, and light, well-drained ground. All of this makes Japanese Stone Pine a satisfying plant to grow and to get to know.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of Pinaceae, Pinus pumila draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Low, mounded habit of the Japanese stone pine gives it a recognised place in research on alpine dwarf pines of five-needle pine group, and pumila species appears in studies of bonsai conifer species and windy-mountain growth. Little about its garden performance is mysterious; it has been grown and observed for a very long time.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Japanese Stone Pine earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. In rock garden, the Japanese stone pine curtains rock garden with low, dense mounds. Blue-green needle tufts hold slope, small cones follow, and shrub makes fine groundcover and bonsai plant. It grows well in light, well-drained, sunny ground. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.
Pines are a materia medica of their own: vitamin-C-rich needle teas saved explorers from scurvy, pine pollen is a tonic food in China, bark proanthocyanidins are studied for circulation, and resin gave turpentine, rosin and naval stores to history.
Growing from Seed
Japanese Stone Pine grows readily from seed. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. The seed responds well to a cool, moist stratification period, which helps it break dormancy evenly. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
A plant of japan and korea, it carries that landscape’s resilience into the garden. A cool, moist period before sowing prepares the seed well; care after that is routine.
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