Musashino adds a strong visual element to the designer’s toolbox. Used singly, it is a landscape exclamation mark. Planted in groups or rows, this unusual cultivar creates a vertical design statement for parks, campuses, boulevards and other public spaces. Perfect symmetry makes it a great choice for creating inviting alleés or visual screens to block unsightly views.

Slender leaves with serrated margins give it a fine-textured appearance. Averaging three inches in length, the refined leaves are medium green throughout the growing season. Autumn tones range from warm yellow to rusty orange-red. Their small size minimizes the need for raking and leaf cleanup in the fall.

This uniquely narrow cultivar is a popular and successful urban tree in Japan. Recently introduced to the North American nursery trade by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., it is proving to be a tough, adaptable performer.