Pinus mugo

Mugo pine or Swiss mountain pine is a member of the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to high elevation habitats in central and southwestern Europe from Spain to the Balkans. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use as a small tree or shrub.

• Needles are in bundles of 2, and 2.5–5.0 cm long, stiff, medium to dark green. Branches are in annual whorls.
• Species is monoecious; male pollen cones are cylindrical, yellowish, in clusters; new female cones are yellow-green to purple.
• Mature seed cones are oval, dull brown, up to 5 cm long. They mature in 2 years.
• Pinus mugo var. mugo is a bushy low shrub or often multi-stemmed plant to 3 m tall.
• Dwarf mugo pine (Pinus mugo var. pumilo) is a slow-growing, dense evergreen for rock gardens; form can reach 3 m wide and only 0.7 m tall.