Mature Height/Spread: Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergiana) reaches 20 to 80 feet in height with a greatly variable spread, usually 20 to 40 feet under cultivation.

Growth Rate: Japanese black pine has a medium growth rate of 1 to 2 feet per year.

Ornamental Features: The stiff, dark green needles occur in pairs and are 3 to 5 inches long. The terminal buds are gray to silvery white.

This feature helps distinguish this species from most other pines. The cones are solitary or clustered, 1½ to 2½ inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide.

Landscape Use: Because of its tolerance of salt spray, Japanese black pine is invaluable for seashore plantings and very useful in stabilizing sand dunes. It also makes a good accent or bonsai plant. It transplants easily and prefers full sun and acid soil, but it will grow in a wide variety of soil conditions.

Problems: Japanese black pine doesn’t suffer from serious pests.

Cultivars:

* ‘Compacta’ is a dense, irregular, large shrub.
* ‘Globosa’ has a large, dense globe habit and dark green needles.
* ‘Iseli’ is gold variegated and has a broad pyramidal form (7 by 3 feet).
* ‘Mini Mounds’ grows to 4 feet high and 9 feet wide and forms mounds.
* ‘Oculus-draconis’ has leaves striped with two yellow bands.