needles

本文中のneedlesは「針状の葉」という意味ですね。stand tallというフレーズとともに覚えておきます。（セミ生 Temple Gate）
Treasured pine still standing tall after tsunami
The Yomiuri Shimbun

MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima--Izumi no Ichiyo Matsu, a 400-year-old pine tree on the coast of Minami-Soma City, has survived the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent salt pollution.

The needles of the Japanese black pine are generally punched in V-shaped pairs, but some black pines--known as ichiyo matsu--also have single needles and are considered scientifically valuable. The area around Izumi no Ichiyo Matsu was submerged by the March 11 tsunami, and many residences and trees nearby were swept away.

However, the pine tree was able to withstand the disaster. While rice paddies around the tree were damaged by salt pollution, the tree has so far shown strong growth.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120115003080.htm