Pinus thunbergii

Japanese black pine is in the pine or Pinaceae family and is native to coastal areas of Japan and South Korea. It is called kuromatsu in Japanese. It can reach a height of 40 m.

• Needles are in fascicles of two with a white sheath at the base, 7–12 cm long, persisting 2–4 years. Branches are in annual whorls.
• Species is monoecious; male pollen cones are reddish-yellow, in clusters near branch tips, appearing in early spring; young females are reddish and egg-shaped, maturing in 2 years.
• Seed cones mature in 2 years and are 4–7 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, with very small points at the tips of the scales.
• Bark is dark gray or black with rough scaly plates.
• Japanese black pine is a popular horticultural tree because of its resistance to pollution and salt.