Other Names:  Banya Pine

Description:

A very fine ornamental tree that is pyramidal in habit with a straight trunk; foliage is finely pointed and whorled; an incredible accent tree that is tolerant of most soils; does not tolerate frost

Ornamental Features

Bunya Pine is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The brown fruits are held in abundance in spectacular cones in late summer. It has attractive light green evergreen foliage. The small pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain light green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Bunya Pine is an open evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bunya Pine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bunya Pine will grow to be about 90 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 50 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America.

Bunya Pine is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.