SCIADOPITYS verticillata

'Umbrella Pine'. A slow-growing, very hardy, monoecious tree of medium-size. Dense and conical when young usually with a single trunk, sometimes with several main stems. Bark peeling to reveal the reddish-brown new bark. Branches horizontal, bearing lush clusters of rich, glossy green foliage. The apparent single linear leaves, up to 13cm long, are, in fact, fused pairs and are arranged in characteristic dense whorls like the spokes of an umbrella. The attracive cones, 6-10cm long, are green at first, ripening to brown the second year.