Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' / Brevifolia Eastern White pine

Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' is a shrubby, slow-growing irregular upright selection of Eastern White pine with short, narrow needles 1 to 1.4 inches (2.5 - 3.5 cm) long, noticeably shorter than the species. The epithet "Brevifolia" literally means "short foliage" in Latin. It holds the needles well and maintains a dense globular form. After 10 years of growth a mature specimen will measure 36 inches (90 cm) tall and 30 inches (75 cm) wide a growth rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm) per year.

This is a very old cultivar that originated in France as early as 1855. Élie-Abel Carrière described it as Pinus strobus forma brevifolia, suggesting that more than one clone may exist in the nursery trade.

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Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' This picture was taken in the summer of 2000 during an ACS tour of the Harper Collection.
Photo by Ken Church
Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' in the Harper Collection of Dwarf & Rare Conifers, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, Michigan, August of 2005.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' in the Watnong Collection, U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC, May 2006.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Pinus strobus 'Brevifolia' in the Harper Collection, Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, Michigan. July, 2016.
Photo by William Dunagin

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