The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: Brevifolia Japanese white pine

Family: Pinaceae (pine family)

Distribution: Species native to Japan

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4

Life form: Evergreen tree

Comments: This evergreen forms a narrow, sparsely branched, upright, semi-dwarf evergreen tree to 20' tall. Needles are stiff, densely crowded, bowed, shorter than normal (to only 1"), and display blue-green winter color. Gray to black cones are egg-shaped, terminally produced, 2-4" long and persist for several years. Unique for stiff, sparse branches that give mature specimens a layered look.