They are a deep, dark green color that makes the plant excellent to use as a background for small trees with colorful flowers or ornamental fruit. It is relatively resistant to air pollutants and will grow on a wide range of soil types. However, it is susceptible to a serious fungal tip blight disease. Scotch pines can be recognized by their short, twisted needles that are produced in bundles of two. Young scotch pines have a symmetrical pyramidal shape, but they develop an open picturesque growth habit as they mature.
Mature specimens develop a reddish orange flaking bark on upper branches.
It is also commonly affected by pine needle scale and needle blights. Its large, grayish-white terminal buds help distinguish it from most other pines. The popularity of Japanese black pine has increased during the past few years, primarily because of its informal growth habit. This irregular growth habit makes it a good accent or specimen plant for use in informal landscapes but does not make it well suited for mass plantings. In Japan, forests of this pine species have been susceptible to pine wilt disease.