Stone pine
Stone pine | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Pinales |
Family: | Pinaceae |
Genus: | Pinus |
Subgenus: | P. subg. Pinus
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Section: | P. sect. Pinus
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Subsection: | Pinus subsect. Pinaster
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Species: | P. pinea
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Binomial name | |
Pinus pinea | |
Distribution map |
The stone pine, botanical name Pinus pinea, also known as the Italian stone pine, Mediterranean stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine, is a tree from the
Stone pines have been used and cultivated for their edible
Pinus pinea is a diagnostic species of the vegetation class Pinetea halepensis.[3]
Distribution
The prehistoric range of Pinus pinea included North Africa in the Sahara Desert and Maghreb regions during a more humid climate period, in present-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Its contemporary natural range is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome ecoregions and countries, including the following:
- Southern Europe
The
In Greece, although the species is not widely distributed,[4] an extensive stone pine forest exists in western Peloponnese at Strofylia[5] on the peninsula separating the Kalogria Lagoon from the Mediterranean Sea. This coastal forest is at least 13 kilometres (8 miles) long, with dense and tall stands of Pinus pinea mixed with Pinus halepensis.[6] Currently, Pinus halepensis is outcompeting stone pines in many locations of the forest.[7] Another location in Greece is at Koukounaries on the northern Aegean island of Skiathos at the southwest corner of the island. This is a half-mile-long dense stand of stone and Aleppo pines that lies between a lagoon and the Aegean Sea.[8]
- Western Asia
In Western Asia, the
- Northern Africa
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests ecoregion of North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria.
- South Africa
In the
Description
The stone pine is a
- Foliage
The flexible mid-green leaves are needle-like, in bundles of two, and are 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long (exceptionally up to 30 cm or 12 in). Young trees up to 5–10 years old bear juvenile leaves, which are very different, single (not paired), 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) long, glaucous blue-green; the adult leaves appear mixed with juvenile leaves from the fourth or fifth year on, replacing it fully by around the tenth year. Juvenile leaves are also produced in regrowth following injury, such as a broken shoot, on older trees.
The cones are broad, ovoid, 8–15 cm (3–6 in) long, and take 36 months to mature, longer than any other pine. The seeds (pine nuts, piñones, pinhões, pinoli, or pignons) are large, 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long, and pale brown with a powdery black coating that rubs off easily, and have a rudimentary 4–8 mm (5⁄32–5⁄16 in) wing that falls off very easily. The wing is ineffective for wind dispersal, and the seeds are animal-dispersed, originally mainly by the Iberian magpie, but in recent history largely by humans.
Use
Food
Pinus pinea has been cultivated extensively for at least 6,000 years for its edible pine nuts, which have been trade items since early historic times. The tree has been cultivated throughout the
Ornamental
The tree is among the current symbols of
In the United Kingdom it has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[10][11]
Small specimens are used for bonsai, and also grown in large pots and planters. The year-old seedlings are seasonally available as table-top Christmas trees 20–30 cm (8–12 in) tall.
Other
Other products of economic value include
Pests
The introduced
Gallery
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Needles of a juvenile (left) and adult (right)
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Seedling
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Close-up of the bark's vertical texture
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Trunk and crown of mature tree
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Pines on Via Appia Antica
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Adult stone pines at Villa Borghese gardens, Rome
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Pine at Villa Medici, Rome
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The tree is among the symbols of Rome and its historic streets, such as the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
-
Stone pines were planted on the hills of theBosphorus straitin Istanbul for ornamental purposes during the Ottoman period.
References
- . Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Pinus pinea". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 23 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
- S2CID 228839165.
- ^ Earle, Christopher J. "Pinus pinea". The Gymnosperm database. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ "Strofylia – Greece". F:ACTS!. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ "GR098 Kalogria lagoon, Strofilia forest, and Lamia marshes". Hellenic Ornithological Society. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ Ganatsas, Petros. "Pinus halepensis invasion in Pinus pinea habitat" (PDF). Journal for Nature Conservation. Elsevier. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ "NatureBank – Βιότοπος NATURA – SKIATHOS: KOUKOUNARIES KAI EVRYTERI THALASSIA PERIOCHI". filotis.itia.ntua.gr.
- ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (13 August 2023). "Rome's Iconic Umbrella Pines Imperiled by Pests and the Ax". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Pinus pinea". Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 71. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Fady, B.; Finesch, S. & Vendramin, G. (2004), Italian stone pine − Pinus pinea: Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use (PDF), European Forest Genetic Resources Programme, archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2017, retrieved 18 January 2017
- ^ PR (20 October 2010). "Italy's pine nut pest". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- hdl:10400.5/20420.
External links
(Stone pine).
- Pinus pinea − distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
- [1] The Gymnosperm Database
- efri.gov.tr: A case study on stone pine farms in Turkey Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- "Pinus pinea". Plants for a Future.
- Pinus pinea in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley