Japanese Red Pine ‘Jane Kluis’

[Vincent Tanner]

Japanese Red Pine
Pinus densiflora, ‘Jane Kluis’

Some sources say this is a hybrid with either P. nigra or P. thunbergii… Others say it is a true cultivar of Pinus densiflora… Whatever it is, I have one that I’ve been working on in my study group with Suthin.



It’s a huge, gnarly thing. Very small needles, very slow growing, slow to bud back. Can have brittle branches.

At my first session with Suthin, we hacked off more than half the foliage. I was surprised how much we took off because the tree was pretty weak, but Suthin shrugged and said “The tree wants to live.”

He also had me to a “top down repot” for the first 2-3” of soil.



Then we put some wire on, bent it up, and it sat for the next year.



I fertilized heavily all year and the tree became quite strong and healthy. I repotted it this Spring using the half bare root method. I missed the correct planting angle by a bit but can fix next repot.



We just had another study group this weekend and I plucked all the old needles, carved some more deadwood to improve taper, added some wire, and adjusted some branches.



It’s got some years ahead of it, but could look good one day!

 

[penumbra]

I bought one of these maybe 20 years ago. There was no confusion at the time that it was a cross between Japanese Red and Japanese Black pines. Apparently the Austrian pine connection is second hand news. Characteristically, I find it close to the Japanese Red pine, but the needles are a bit stiffer like the Japanese black pine.
This is from the American Conifer Society:
Pinus × densithunbergii ‘Jane Kluis’



Pinus × densithunbergii 'Jane Kluis' is a deliberate cross (grex) of Pinus densiflora and Pinus thunbergii. It is a dwarf, globose selection of hybrid pine with straight, rigid, fresh-green needles and prominent white buds. Typical rate of growth in most areas is 2.5 to 6 inches (6 - 15 cm) a year resulting in a shrubby tree 2 to 5 feet (0.7 - 1.5 m) tall and wide after 10 years in the landscape.

A description by Ken Church for the publication, Conifers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia, by D.M.van Gelderen and J.R.P. van Hoey Smith, Timber Press ©1996​

A very low growing compact plant, raised by Kluis Nurseries, U.S.A., before 1984. The buds are remarkably white; this may indicate that the plant is a hybrid with P. thunbergii. A very nice novelty. Received an Award of Merit from the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society.

Rudolph H.W. Kluis, of Rudolph Kluis Nurseries, Marlboro, New Jersey is credited with origination, nomination and introduction of this fine cultivar.

An account provided by Ridge Goodwin details the history of this cultivar. Ridge received one of the initial propagations of 'Jane Kluis'​

My memory has it that Rudi performed a deliberate cross back in the early 70's with Pinus densiflora and Pinus thunbergii which yielded seedlings that exhibited a range of characteristics reflective of both parents. From this collection of seedlings (which Rudi called a grex), he selected five or six that had distinct features none of which he named except that of 'Jane Kluis'. 'Jane Kluis' was distinct from the others in that it was broader than tall, had coarser thunbergii foliage and had those distinctive white candles. All the others had the typical densiflora habit with some variation, and yet interestingly, all had that distinctive acid green color typical of 'Jane Kluis.'

 

[Vincent Tanner]

This is awesome!! Thank you for sharing all that.

 

[penumbra]

This is awesome!! Thank you for sharing all that.

My pleasure. I just plucked all the old large needles off mine which has been in the same pot nearly ignored for 8 or 10 years. It has a somewhat obnoxious graft so I really have ignored it. But after plucking the large needles, some almost 4 inches long, I think its time for me to do something with it.

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Wow did not see that coming from your first pix, looks great!

Not surprising I guess Suthin is an incredible talent.

 

[NeedlesAndLeaves]

Looks great!
Do you know where the name “Jane Kluis” comes from?

“Kluis” is a typical Dutch word meaning Safe/Vault/Strongroom.

 

[Vincent Tanner]

Looks great!
Do you know where the name “Jane Kluis” comes from?

“Kluis” is a typical Dutch word meaning Safe/Vault/Strongroom.

Not sure, but based on the info in penumbra’s post, I think it’s named after the man who first grew the hybrid.

 

[Vincent Tanner]

Wow did not see that coming from your first pix, looks great!

Not surprising I guess Suthin is an incredible talent.

Suthin is a magician. One of the very best to ever do it.

 

[Vincent Tanner]

My pleasure. I just plucked all the old large needles off mine which has been in the same pot nearly ignored for 8 or 10 years. It has a somewhat obnoxious graft so I really have ignored it. But after plucking the large needles, some almost 4 inches long, I think it’s time for me to do something with it.

Penumbra, do you know if these do or do not double flush? I’m curious if cutting candles is possible? It seems to grow very slowly and some folks over here say treat it like Japanese White Pine. I thought that was interesting considering it’s a mix of two double flush pines.

 

[Dav4]

Penumbra, do you know if these do or do not double flush? I’m curious if cutting candles is possible? It seems to grow very slowly and some folks over here say treat it like Japanese White Pine. I thought that was interesting considering it’s a mix of two double flush pines.

A cross between two double flush pines should also be a double flush. With that being said, I can't speak from experience with this particular cultivar. If it was re-potted this spring, I'd hold off on de-candling anyways.

 

[Ruddigger]

Suthin is a real talent. He’s gonna be in California in October for the GSBF Rendezvous. I’m looking forward to watching him work.

 

[Vincent Tanner]