Pinus mugo
mugo pine, Swiss mountain pine

Notes:

PSA: this species, while a slow grower, is not a natural dwarf; it can get 10-18' tall, and some as tall as 70' in their natural habitat. You're thinking of var. mughus/mugo, var. pumilio, or any one of the wide variety of dwarf cultivars.

Needles in twos, held for 4+ years. Prefer cool summers. Unlike some other pines, tolerates alkaline soils. Deep rooting habit disappears in shallow, poorly-drained soils. Only Missouri BG claims clay tolerance, and even then not strongly enough to actually put it on their list, while the USDA denies it.

Susceptible to scale.

Sources: UFL, Sunset, Stoecklein, Cal Poly, Missouri BG, UConn, NCSU, USDA.

Buy it (var. mughus/mugo) or 'Slowmound' at PlantingTree.com (affiliate link; supports this website)

Tags:

aromatic foliage
attracts:larval host
branches strong
compacted soil intolerant
deer resistant
dense canopy
drought tolerant
exposure:full sun
exposure:part shade
fire risk low
form:multi-trunked
form:shrub
form:trainable to single trunk
form:tree
full sun preferred
habit:conical/pyramidal
habit:irregular
habit:rounded
litter:fruit
litter:leaves
long-lived
persistence:evergreen
pollution tolerant
pruning not required
roots:deep
roots:low damage potential
salt tolerant
sandy soil tolerant
slow-growing
type:conifer
use:bonsai
use:border
use:christmas tree
use:container
use:foundation
use:mass planting
use:rock garden
use:screen
use:specimen
water:moderate to little
water:regular
well-drained soil required


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