Pinus pentaphylla. Bonsai 17 years. Five-needle pine.

Pinus pentaphylla. Bonsai 17 years. Five-needle pine. These are trees that, by nature, must be placed outside, ideal for balconies, gardens and terraces. Evergreen tree whose leaves are called needles. The needles grow in bunches of five and have white stripes on the undersides. They belong to the order of the conifers because its fruit, the pine, has the shape of a cone. It’s a tree which you can find in the mountains and of slow growth. As a bonsai you will often find it grafted on to the stronger rootstock of P. thunbergii.

Location: Place in the exterior in full sunlight. It’s one of the trees which needs the greatest exposure to sunlight.

Watering: Pines need controlled watering. An excess of watering and with spoil with poor drainage can have fatal consequences for the life of the mycorrhizae. These are fungus whose roots act in a symbiosis with those of the pine and help it absorb mineral elements of the ground like phosphorus. Without this fungus the tree weakens and at then dies.

Curiosities: In Japan this pine is considered to be female. The light colour and the texture and size of its needles give it this character. It’s one of the more emblematic bonsai.

Dimensions in centimeters approx. (width x depth x height): 20 x 17 x 35

Note: The shape and measurements of the bonsais are approximate. The pot is included on the dimensions. The colour and shape of the pot may vary from that of the photo. A bonsai is a living being. The images that appear are non-binding illustrative pictures.