Pinus thunbergii — Japanese black pine
![Winter buds: Pinus thunbergii. ~ By Charles Brun. ~ Copyright © 2024. ~ brunc[at]wsu.edu ~ Pacific Northwest Plants - www.pnwplants.wsu.edu/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Pinaceae/pinus-thunbergii-wb-pnw.jpg)
![Leaves: Pinus thunbergii. ~ By Arnold Arboretum. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arnold Arboretum. ~ Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library, hortlib[at]arnarb.harvard.edu](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Pinaceae/pinus-thunbergii-le-arnoldarb.jpg)
![Fruits: Pinus thunbergii. ~ By Arnold Arboretum. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arnold Arboretum. ~ Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library, hortlib[at]arnarb.harvard.edu](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Pinaceae/pinus-thunbergii-fr-arnoldarb.jpg)
![Flowers: Pinus thunbergii. ~ By Polly Ryan-Lane. ~ Copyright © 2024 Polly Ryan-Lane, Courtesy of Smith College, Michael Marcotrigiano [mmarcot[at]smith.edu]. ~ Michael Marcotrigiano, mmarcotr[at]smith.edu ~ The Botanic Garden of Smith College - www.smith.edu/garden/home.html](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Pinaceae/pinus-thunbergii-fl-pryanlane1.jpg)
![Plant form: Pinus thunbergii. ~ By Arnold Arboretum. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arnold Arboretum. ~ Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library, hortlib[at]arnarb.harvard.edu](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Pinaceae/pinus-thunbergii-ha-arnoldarb.jpg)
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Facts
Japanese black pine is, true to its name, native to Japan and China. It produces whitish buds. Its growth shape can be somewhat irregular, making it less popular for planting; and when it does escape the garden, it has shown some tendency to be invasive. The species is named after Swedish physician and botanist, Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1848), a student of Carl Linnaeus who traveled widely throughout South Africa and Asia to collect new species of plants.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, shrublands or thickets
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of two
- Seed cone shape
- the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed cone base
- the base of the seed cone does not look hollow
- Seed cone bracts
- the bracts are covered by the seed cone scales
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Seed cone scales
- the visible portion of the scale of the closed seed cone is thickened at its base
- Seed cone shape
- the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
- Seed cone symmetry
- the seed cone is symmetrical
- Seed cone umbo position
- the raised portion is at the center of the seed cone scale
- Seed cone umbo spine
- the seed cone scale has a sharp point on it
- Seed wings
- the seeds have wing-like projections
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Leaf base
- NA
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of two
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf duration
- the needle-like leaves remain green all winter
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf glands
- there are no glands on the underside of the needle-like leaves
- Leaf stalks
- the needle-like leaves do not have a leaf stalk
- Leaf types
- there are two distinct types of needle-like leaves on the twig
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- shrublands or thickets
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Bark resin blisters
- there are no resin blisters on the bark
- Leaves on shoots
- there are needle-like leaves growing in tight clusters on a short, knob-like shoot
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hair type
- the twigs have few or no hairs on them
- Twig hairs
- the twig does not have hairs
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
8. Pinus thunbergii Parl. E
Japanese black pine. Pinus thunbergiana Franco, nom. illeg. • MA. Forest edges, thickets, roadsides, persisting long after planting.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Pinus nigra:
- winter buds resinous, growth habit relatively uniform and often with an unbranched main stem, and seed cones sessile, with a +/- rounded base (vs. P. thunbergii, with winter buds not resinous, growth habit irregular, the main stem and branches often forked, and seed cones stalked, with a +/- truncate base).
- Pinus resinosa:
- needle-like leaves brittle, breaking when bent, seed cones falling with some basal scales missing, and smaller branches orange-brown (vs. P. thunbergii, with needle-like leaves flexible, not breaking when bent, seed cones falling with the basal scales present, and smaller branches brown to gray-brown).
Synonyms
- Pinus thunbergiana Franco, nom. illeg.