Pinus pumila (also known as the Siberian dwarf pine, dwarf Siberian pine, Japanese stone pine or creeping pine) is a native of northeastern Asia, including the islands of Japan. It is a coniferous evergreen shrub ranging from 1–3 m in height, exceptionally up to 5 m, but may have individual branches that extend farther along the ground in length. In the mountains of northern Japan, it sometimes hybridises with the related Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora); these hybrids (Pinus x hakkodensis) are larger than P. pumila, reaching 8–10 m tall on occasion.
The leaves are needle-like, formed in bundles of five and are 4–6 cm long. The cones are 2.5-4.5 cm long, with large nut-like seeds (pine nuts).
It shares the common name creeping pine with several other plants.
This plant is grown as an ornamental shrub in parks and gardens. The cultivar P. pumila 'Glauca' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Read more about Siberian Dwarf Pine: Ecology
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