Japanese red pine, Japanese umbrella pine
Pinus densiflora
Family: Pinaceae
What it is like
A tree. It is 30 m tall. The trunk is 1.5 m across. The bark is orange red. It is flaky and scaly. The crown is like an umbrella. The first year branches are yellow or red. There are 2 needles per bundle. They are half round in cross section. The seed cones can be erect or hang down. They have short stalks. They are dark yellowish-brown. The are oval or cone shaped and 3-5.5 cm long by 2.5-4.5 cm wide. The seed scales are usually thin. The seeds are oval and 3-7 mm long by 3 mm wide. The wings are 1-2 cm wide by 5-7 mm thick.
There are over 100 species of Pinus.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows from coastal regions to hillsides from sea level to 900 m in N China. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, China, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, Russia, Tasmania, USA
How it is used for food
The young green cones and mature needles are used to make wine. The needles are used to give a flavour to rice cakes and other sweets by steaming the food over beds of the needles. The pollen is added to cookies. The seed and inner bark are recorded as eaten.
Edible parts
Fruit for drink, seeds, leaves - flavouring, bark - flavouring
How it is grown
Cones take 18 months to mature.
Its other names
Local names
Chi song, Sonamu