Madison Square Park plays host to many ancient trees, including the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) and Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), and we have just added one more specimen to the list!

Prized by horticulturalists for its ornamental value, the Japanese umbrella pine, or Sciadopitys verticillata, sports long, vibrant, green needles arranged in a whorl around the stem and smooth cinnamon-colored bark. While it is not a true pine, this tree is a monoecious evergreen conifer, having both male and female flower parts and cones, therefore self-pollinating by wind distribution. Umbrella pines enjoy full sun to part shade, needing at least six hours of sunlight a day for optimal growth. 

The specimen newly planted in the 23rd street garden bed is a cultivated variety named ‘Joe Kozey,’ introduced by American botanist Sidney Waxman in 1986 out of the University of Connecticut. It was bred for its fastigiate, or upright growth habit, and branches that can better withstand snow. A slow grower, ‘Joe Kozey’ grows only a few inches a year and can reach heights up to 20 feet, considerably shorter than typical for this species.

A lonely tree, the only genus surviving in the plant family Sciadopitaceae, this tree dates its origins back to the Triassic period, before dinosaurs roamed the earth 250 million years ago. Its ancient ancestors covered large swaths of land from Eurasia, Northern Europe, and the northern reaches of America. As the Earth changed, the genus is now only native to the cool, misty mountains of Central Japan, at elevations of 1500 to 3200 feet. In its native range, umbrella pines can grow up to 120 feet and live up to 100 years in ideal conditions. 

Evergreen trees and plants are important to the landscape value of the park, providing the bones of the gardens during the winter months.  Evergreen plants also provide winter shelter and food for park wildlife. The horticulture team at Madison Square Park is extremely excited to introduce this tree into the arboretum and to Manhattan’s backyard!