Monday, February 17, 2014

Pinus strobus 'Nana' - Dwarf Eastern White Pine

I love five needle pines, especially dwarf ones. I was really surprised to see this one the other day. I think I drove past it several times without seeing it as I am always looking up. Anyway, the name 'Nana' is a common name for almost any slower growing Eastern White Pine. Older plants like this have been replaced by other named dwarfs that really are dwarf, but this one really only grows to 15' after many years so comparing it to the species its a dwarf.

This is an example I found at the Morton Arboretum….



And this is in Santa Cruz.



Leaves are in clusters of 5's, they are 3" long, bluish colored, soft textured, holding on to the stems for years creating a dense stem. Looking closely at the base of the fascicle, you will see they have a deciduous sheath.


Even the cones are dwarf, reaching only 3-4" long rather that 4-8".


Misidentification?
Other 5 needle pines.

Location:
Santa Cruz
705 Hanover