Habitat

• hardy to zone 2
• native to Canada down through the Midwest

Habit and Form

• an evergreen shrub
• low-growing, loose form
• 3' to 6' tall
• 6' to 8' wide
• medium texture
• slow growth rate

Summer Foliage

• evergreen needle-like foliage
• two-ranked needles
• dense
• 0.5" to 0.75" long
• pointed apex
• lush dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• none, evergreen
• reddish winter cast

Flowers

• dioecious
• form on previous years wood
• blooms in March and April
• ornamentally unimportant

Fruit

• hard seed covered by a red aril
• mildly attractive

Bark

• not ornamentally important

Culture

• easily transplanted from B&B or container
• prefers moist, well-drained, sandy, slightly acidic soil
• prune tolerant
• sun or shade

Landscape Use

• groundcover
• mass or groupings
• bonsai

Liabilities

• no serious insect problems
• yellowing in windswept sites
• doesn't like heat

ID Features

• two-ranked needles
• red aril covering seed
• reddish brown bark
• sharp pointed leaf apex
• low growing

Propagation

• mostly done by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Stricta' (also known as 'Pyramidalis') - This form grows with ascending, upright stems that carry foliage which turns brown-red in winter.