Black Pine

Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii)

Some of the two needle pines are commonly used as bonsai and include Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora), Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) and Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii). They all have unique and distinct differences in their form and foliage making for quite dramatic and impressive bonsai trees in their own rights.

For each of the four tree species above there are a range of cultivars that are used for bonsai which for the majority have the smaller / shorter needle length to start with, however not all in our experience has proven to be as good for bonsai due to their reactions to pruning and training, and some have a tendency to form very dense crowns due to their compact forms.

Scots Pine Mame

Scots Pine

This species of pine has a far range for the ability to survive in a variety of regions from Spain to Eastern Siberia and is considered a native to Britain. It has a red flaking bark at maturity and a shorter needle than many pines that tends be be slightly wavy and soft and lighter green. It is widely grown as a timber crop as it is fast growing and also makes an ideal tree for bonsai.

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Examples of cultivars of Pinus sylvestris used widely for Bonsai:-

  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Beuvronensis’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Compressa’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Doone Valley’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Nana’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Nana Compacta’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Pixie’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Pygmaea’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Viridis Compacta’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Watereri’
  • Pinus sylvestris ‘Windsor’
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Japanese Red Pine

The Japanese Red Pine has a softer feel to the foliage with less stiff or ridged needles. It is also evergreen and monoecious and flowers in April. The name derives from the colour of the bark which when mature has a reddish tinge. They make excellent bonsai and can be styled as literati, slanting, cascade and informal upright.

Here are a few examples of Japanese Red Pine Cultivars

  • Pinus densiflora ‘Alice Verkade’ (Bun shaped plant of dwarf form with dense foliage)
  • Pinus densiflora’ Aurea’ (Yellow needle form)
  • Pinus densiflora ‘Globosa’ (Dwarf pine with rounded form, short needles but hard to obtain seed from)
  • Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus-draconis’ Dragon-eye pine which when viewed from above the needles have bands of colour on them forming green and yellow rings hence the name.
  • Pinus densiflora ‘Pendula’ Small form with prostrate branches
  • Pinus densiflora ‘Tagyosho’ (Dense flat umbrella shaped crown, grafted onto Japanese Black Pine)
  •  Pinus densiflora ‘Umbraculifera’ is a miniature tree with an umbrella like form to the crown and has tiny cones.
Pinus mugo

Pinus mugo

Mountain Pine

Here are a few examples of Pinus Mugo cultivars

  • Pinus mugo ‘Corleys Mat’
  • Pinus mugo ‘Gnom’
  • Pinus mugo ’Humpy’
  • Pinus mugo ‘Jacobsen’
  • Pinus mugo ‘Mops’
  • Pinus mugo ‘Ophir’
  • Pinus mugo ‘Pal Maleter’
  • Pinus mugo’Valley Cushion’
JBP up close

Japanese Black Pine 

The Japanese Black Pine is a strong form which is evergreen with monoecious flowers. The trunk is a blackish to dark grey colour when mature which deep ridges and fissures. The leaves or needles are very stiff and are in bundles of two with sharp points at the end and of a dark green colour.

JBP_bark JBP_Needles

The buds are whitish brown and male flowers are borne at the base of newly extended growth. Female flowers are red and form at the end of the shoot in groups of one to three. These pines flower in late spring to early summer and produce a fruit cone.

They thrive in sunny positions and cope with pruning well. They are easily propagated from seed as well as from grafting and are used as a root stock plant for grafting white Pine onto.

JBP 23_1

They are widely used for bonsai in that they are able to be styled into a range of shapes and train quite easily and come in a wide variety of cultivars including a cork barked form to as shown in the examples below.

  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Aocha-matsu’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Arakawa-sho’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Banshosho’ (Mound forming)
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Compacta’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Dainagon’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Eechee-nee’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Globosa’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Green Elf’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Iwai’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Janome’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Kotobuki’ (Small bush habit, very short needles)
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Kujacka’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Koyosho’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Kyushu’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Miyajuna’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Nishiki-ne’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Nishiki-tsusaka’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Oculus-draconis’ (Variegated form)
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Ogon’ (Golden foliage)
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Porky’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Pygmaea’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Sayonara’ (Dwarf clone)
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Senryu’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Shinsho’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Shio-guro’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Shirome Janome’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Shun sho Matsu’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Suchiro Yatabusa’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Sunsho’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Yatsubusa’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Ye-i-kan’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Yoshimura’
  • Pinus thunbergii  ‘Yumaki’
Cork bark JBP

Cork barked varieties

  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Akame’ (Cork Bark pine with long needles)
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Beni Kujacka’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Brocade’ (Dwarf Cork barked)
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Corticosa’
  • Pinus thunbergii  var corticosa ‘Fuji’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Hachi Gen’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Hayabusa’
  • Pinus thunbergii  var corticosa ‘Iihara’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Katsuga’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Kyokko’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Mi Nishiki’
  • Pinus thunbergii Nishiki Kuro Matsu’
  • Pinus thunbergii ‘Tai Hei’