Great Plant Pick: Tanyosho pine
HeraldNet.com
HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington
What: Nothing else has the unique growth habit of Pinus densiflora Umbraculifera, or Tanyosho pine, not to mention its wonderful combination of ornamental attributes. It grows slowly into a flat-topped tree, hence the nickname tabletop pine. Each branch radiates out in a vase-like pattern from its strong main trunk. Bright green needles are very thin and soft to the touch, they are held aristocratically at the ends of its branches. Bark on the trunk and main braches flakes and peels to reveal a rusty, orange-red inner layer that provides a counterpoint to tanyosho pine’s green needles.