Woody > Pinus > Pinus koraiensis > Pinus koraiensis
Pinus koraiensis
Korean Pine
Origin: Native to Korea, north east China, Japan and eastern Russia. Introduced in 1861. Seeds are edible and harvested. A lumber tree comparable in value to Pinus strobus.
Mike's
Opinion
"
A very beautiful, yet underused pine. Very valuable in an oriental garden. Acsending branches resemble East Asian architecture and the seed cones remind me of a shurikan. Also valuable to attract wildlife; small animals love the seeds. This plant is a hidden gem.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Pinus |
| Species |
| koraiensis |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4-7 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 3a |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -37 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -34 |
| Height |
| 30-50 m |
| Spread |
| 5-9 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A rare, slow growing, attractive blue-green evergreen tree. |
| Landscape |
| An excellent specimen tree especially for the oriental garden. Appropriate for small landscapes due to slow growth. Can also be used in groupings or screens. |
| Cultivation |
| Very adaptable and hardy. Best suited to a well drained soil preferably sand, gravel or sandy loam. Requires full sun. Drought tolerant once roots establish. |
| Shape |
| Broad and irregularly pyramidal, becoming more rounded with age. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| Leaves are blue-green, long, soft, serrated and in fascicles of fives. Trunk is often forked, grey-brown with exfoliating bark. Twigs are red brown and pubescent. Buds are red-brown and resinous. Loosely pyramidal form, branching to the ground. Upper branches are ascending. Cones have recurved scales and contain large wingless seeds. Root system is minimal. |
| Pests |
| Pests are rare due to the isolation of the species. |
| Habitat |
| Adaptable but prefers well drained soils and full sun. Mountain Slopes and river valleys. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Twigs are smooth, pubescent, red-brown or sometimes yellow. Aged bark is grey-brown with thin exfoliating scales. Inner layer is red-brown. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Acute with long narrow scales. 10-18 mm long, red-brown. Ranging from light to heavily resinous. |
| Leaf Description |
| Needles in fascicles of fives, sometimes threes with serrated margins. Three sided, glossy dark green on top, blue or white-blue on two of the undersides. 9-13 cm long, 1-1.2 mm wide. Appearing stiff but are actually soft. Loosely arranged. |
| Flower Description |
| Monoecious, inflorescence 1-3 cm long. Males are yellow turning deep red, females are red. Located on young shoots in clusters. Wind pollinated, not self-fertile. |
| Fruit Description |
| Pollen cones are 15-20 mm long and red. Seed cones 9-14 cm long, green-purple when young, turning reddish brown or yellow-brown. Scales are diamond shaped and curved back at the ends and sometimes prickled. Indehiscent, with seed 2.5 cm long. |
| Colour Description |
| Needles give the tree an overall bluish green hue. Bark ranges from red-brown to grey-brown with reddish undertones. Cones are a red-brown, sometimes yellow-brown. |
| Texture Description |
| Medium in all seasons. |
| Notable Specimens |
| UWO Plant Sciences Station, Ilderton, Ontario. Whistling Gardens Ltd, Wilsonville, Ontario. |
| Propagation |
| Seeds do not require any pre-treatment, although stratifying at less than 4 °C for 6 weeks will speed up the germination process. Cuttings can be successful if taken from trees less than 10 years old. Cultivars are grafted. |
References
Connon Nurseries NVK, Dundas, Ontario. Rhora?s Nut Farm and Nursery, Wainfleet, Ontario.
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