Description
Small, upright, slow growing evergreen tree, conifer (H 5-8 m, W 2-3 m). Crown egg-shaped, regular. Branches upright to open, with slightly hanging tips. Bark black-grey. Young shoots light brown, hairy. Needles short (2-4 cm), in dense bundles of 30, thin, soft, pointed, smooth, young needles light green-blue to grey-blue, later blue-green. Male and female flowers separate, male flowers in large catkins, yellow-brown. Flowering period: September-October. Cones dark green to brown, broad-oval, with wide, thin scales, fall apart while still on the tree. Requires deep, sufficiently drained, dry to moderately moist soils, in sheltered, warm, sunny to half-shady sites, protected from dry, cold wind.