Plant of the Month March 2019

Pinus pumila (Dwarf Siberian Pine)

Family: Pinaceae
Origin: NE Asia
Location: Beside Native Plants
Accession: 1971

Pinus pumila is a coniferous evergreen shrub ranging from 1–3m in height. The leaves are needle-like, formed in bundles of five and are 4–6cm long. The cones are 2.5-4.5cm long, with large nut-like seeds. It is a native of north-eastern Asia, its range including eastern Siberia, north-east Mongolia, north-east China, northern Japan and Korea. It can be found along mountain chains, where it forms uninterrupted hard-to-pass thickets, and alongside the Okhotsk and Bering Seas and Pacific coast. It grows very slowly, especially in harsh conditions, and can live up to 300 and even 1000 years. It is often grown in ornamental parks and gardens