The first thing a visitor notices on the way from the Rome airport to the center is the mighty trees of amazing shape: an incredible umbrella of pine needles soars up on a slender leg. Meet: tall, thick hair, sacred history, and simple name - cultivated pine / pino domestico.
In fact, in the Italian region of Lazio, whose capital is Rome, there are at least three types of pine trees: pinia or native cultivated pine/pino domestico, maritime pine / pino marittimo– it is the most cold-resistant and is more common on the sea coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, since it survives salty air well, and Aleppo pine / pino d’Aleppo. The latter is found less frequently and further north, but this pine has late cones; they do not open for years, preserving seeds even in fires.
The main Roman heroine is cultivated pine / pino domestico or simply pine .
The pine trees are the first to meet everyone on the way from the airport to the city. It was the pine tree, as a symbol tree, that Mussolini planted, opening a new imperial road to the sea. Now huge, slender trees stand like soldiers on guard on both sides of the former Imperial Avenue, which still connects Rome with the sea. Pine trees provide long-awaited shade on ancient ruins; they are comfortably located along the Forum of the Emperors, decorating all Roman gardens and wide avenues.
Photo from the Roma Sparita archive
In many ways, this amazing tree is similar to other pines: it is heat-loving - the ideal temperature is 15-18 degrees - but it can easily tolerate a temperature drop of up to 5 degrees, which is quite in the tradition of the Roman winter. The tree reaches a height of up to 30 meters, grows quite quickly and lives up to 500 years. Many Roman pine trees were planted during the time of Mussolini, when all the parks and the sea coast were put in order, but some trees are much older. They all have their own number and are strictly registered by the committees that monitor green cultural and historical monuments.
The Roman pine has a distinctive feature - its crown. If the sea pine reaches a width of 5-6 meters, then the Roman pine gives a crown up to 24 meters in diameter. The shape of the crown is cultivated - during the growth of the pine tree, the lower branches are cut off and a dizzying umbrella is obtained, the diameter of which is sometimes equal to the height of the tree itself.
Colle Oppio Park in Rome
Pinks form an integral part of the Roman picture, appear in photographs no less often than famous landmarks and are sacred trees of antiquity, but we know little about the origins: how, when and why the Romans brought this tree from Asia Minor and cultivated it in local weather conditions remains just guess.
Street of the Imperial Forum in Rome
In ancient culture we encounter an interesting phenomenon - sacred forests, in which the Romans planted trees dedicated to the gods. Religious holidays and rituals dedicated to the gods were held in these forests. At that time, religion was an inseparable part of human life, and sacred forests and their trees were a living part of Roman culture and life. Titus Livy, Plutarch and Juvenal mention that at the Capena Gate (the gate has not survived to this day, but the place where it was located is known) there was a sacred forest Lucus Camenarum. The name of the forest (“caminare” means “to walk”) is probably due to the fact that the Appian Way passed here from the 4th century BC, and perhaps some more ancient one before it.
Gardens of the Pope at his country residence in Castelgandolfo
This Sacred Forest was used for the rituals of the cult of the Vestals - the highest rank of priestesses in ancient Rome - and for daily purification, important in ancient culture. In this Sacred Forest there were many pine trees dedicated to the Good Winds (Ventis Bonis) and the god of the seas Neptune, who was the patron of pine groves. Interestingly, divine pine groves were planted immediately after the city gates. It is believed that sacred forests served as an important border between nature and urban civilization, a magical transition from the man-made world to the world of wild nature and back.
Orange Garden in Rome / Giardino degli aranci
Pine was known to the Etruscans, most likely brought from Asia Minor and cultivated by the Romans on Italian lands, probably for wood and resin needed in the construction of sea vessels. And pine nuts - pinolli / pinolli were successfully used in antiquity as a precious natural preservative.
Even with the change of culture and religion, the highly revered symbolism of pine has been preserved. In the courtyard of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, until the 16th century, there was a bronze cone - an antique fountain - today it adorns the Courtyard of the Cone in the Vatican, and the quarter of the city where it was found is called “The Cone”. Let us remember the sacred forests in the paintings of Renaissance artists: pine is an indispensable character in the mystical landscape.
Sandro Botticelli. Illustrations for the Decameron by Boccaccio, 15th century.
Evergreen pine - in antiquity a symbol of eternity and immortality, fertility and family happiness, its cone under the auspices of various gods, and today flaunts on many coats of arms as a symbol of power and authority, and pinoli nuts are an indispensable ingredient in Italian cuisine.
Grandma's cake / Torta della nonna
| Taxonomy on Wikispecies | Image Search on Wikimedia Commons |
|
Spreading
Biological description
The tree is 20-30 m high and lives up to 500 years. The crown is dense, dark green, umbrella-shaped, compact, in old trees with horizontally spread branches. The needles are in bunches, two pieces each, long (10-15 cm), narrow, dense, green throughout the year, sometimes bluish.
The cones are usually single or two or three, 8-15 cm long, ovoid or almost spherical. The seeds ripen in the third year in October, but the cones do not open until the following spring. After the seeds fall out, the cones hang on the branches for another two to three years.
The seeds are elongated-ovate, dark brown, sometimes with light spots, with three ribs. Length - 15-17 mm, width - 8-9. With a thick shell, narrow short wing. Edible. Pine seeds are the largest among pines (and pine trees in general), they are 3-4 times larger than cedar seeds. There are 1500 of them in one kilogram. The yield is quite high - from 3 to 8 tons of seeds are obtained from one hectare. In Italy, pine seeds are called pinoli.
Use, agricultural technology
A very beautiful tree - it was used as an ornamental plant by the Etruscans. Nowadays it is also widely used in this capacity. Very good for bonsai art.
Pine is light-loving and drought-resistant, has little soil requirements, grows on dry limestone soils and sea sands, although it prefers fresh, loose soil and cannot withstand excessive moisture. Tolerates frosts down to -18 C°, wind-resistant.
Seeds germinate without pre-sowing preparation. Valuable decorative and nut-bearing tree. Pine seeds are widely used in confectionery production; crushed nuts are included in the famous pesto sauce. Pine tree is cultivated on the southern coast of Crimea and in the Caucasus.
In culture
Write a review about the article "Pine pine"
Notes
Literature
- Large encyclopedia in 62 volumes. Volume 36. "Terra". Moscow. - ISBN 5-273-00432-2
- Klimenko Z.K. Exotic plants of the South Coast. - “Business-Inform”, 1999
- Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna). Canon of medical science
Excerpt characterizing Pine pine
- Well, yes, yes, give me some more rags.“If he manages to get things done, he can pay off all his debts,” the militiaman continued about Rostov.
- A good old man, but very pauvre sire [bad]. And why do they live here for so long? They had long wanted to go to the village. Does Natalie seem to be well now? – Julie asked Pierre, smiling slyly.
“They are expecting a younger son,” said Pierre. “He joined Obolensky’s Cossacks and went to Bila Tserkva. A regiment is being formed there. And now they transferred him to my regiment and are waiting for him every day. The Count has long wanted to go, but the Countess will never agree to leave Moscow until her son arrives.
“I saw them the other day at the Arkharovs’. Natalie looked prettier and cheerful again. She sang one romance. How easy it is for some people!
- What's going on? – Pierre asked displeasedly. Julie smiled.
“You know, Count, that knights like you only exist in the novels of Madame Suza.”
- Which knight? Why? – Pierre asked, blushing.
- Well, come on, dear Count, c "est la fable de tout Moscou. Je vous admire, ma parole d" honneur. [all of Moscow knows this. Really, I'm surprised at you.]
- Fine! Fine! - said the militiaman.
- OK then. You can't say how boring it is!
“Qu"est ce qui est la fable de tout Moscou? [What does all of Moscow know?] - Pierre said angrily, getting up.
- Come on, Count. You know!
“I don’t know anything,” said Pierre.
– I know that you were friends with Natalie, and that’s why... No, I’m always friendlier with Vera. Cette chere Vera! [This sweet Vera!]
“Non, madame,” Pierre continued in a dissatisfied tone. “I didn’t take on the role of Rostova’s knight at all, and I haven’t been with them for almost a month.” But I don't understand cruelty...
“Qui s"excuse - s"accuse, [Whoever apologizes, blames himself.] - Julie said, smiling and waving the lint, and so that she had the last word, she immediately changed the conversation. – What, I found out today: poor Marie Volkonskaya arrived in Moscow yesterday. Did you hear she lost her father?
- Really! Where is she? “I would very much like to see her,” said Pierre.
– I spent the evening with her yesterday. Today or tomorrow morning she is going to the Moscow region with her nephew.
- Well, how is she? - said Pierre.
- Nothing, I’m sad. But do you know who saved her? This is a whole novel. Nicholas Rostov. They surrounded her, wanted to kill her, wounded her people. He rushed in and saved her...
“Another novel,” said the militiaman. “This general elopement was decidedly done so that all the old brides would get married.” Catiche is one, Princess Bolkonskaya is another.
“You know that I really think that she is un petit peu amoureuse du jeune homme.” [a little bit in love with a young man.]
- Fine! Fine! Fine!
– But how can you say this in Russian?..
When Pierre returned home, he was given two Rastopchin posters that had been brought that day.
The first said that the rumor that Count Rostopchin was prohibited from leaving Moscow was unfair and that, on the contrary, Count Rostopchin was glad that ladies and merchant wives were leaving Moscow. “Less fear, less news,” the poster said, “but I answer with my life that there will be no villain in Moscow.” These words clearly showed Pierre for the first time that the French would be in Moscow. The second poster said that our main apartment was in Vyazma, that Count Wittschstein defeated the French, but that since many residents want to arm themselves, there are weapons prepared for them in the arsenal: sabers, pistols, guns, which residents can get at a cheap price. The tone of the posters was no longer as playful as in Chigirin’s previous conversations. Pierre thought about these posters. Obviously, that terrible thundercloud, which he called upon with all the strength of his soul and which at the same time aroused involuntary horror in him - obviously this cloud was approaching.
“Should I enlist in the military and go to the army or wait? – Pierre asked himself this question for the hundredth time. He took a deck of cards lying on his table and began to play solitaire.
“If this solitaire comes out,” he said to himself, mixing the deck, holding it in his hand and looking up, “if it comes out, it means... what does it mean?” He didn’t have time to decide what it meant when a voice was heard behind the office door the eldest princess asking if she could come in.
Pine nuts are the seeds of the Italian pine tree of the same name, which are located in cones. On the branches they are located in clusters of 1-3 pieces. The nuts ripen in the third year of cone growth in October, and by the beginning of spring all the seeds have fallen out. Therefore, the pine harvest begins in late October and early November.
The nuts have an oblong oval shape, dark brown in color with small light spots. The shell is much stronger than the shell of pine seeds, so they should be shelled manually using a nut cracker or industrially using a conveyor with closely spaced rollers.
On the sides of a ripe seed, edges are formed, usually three of them. They range in size from 1.5 to 1.7 cm. The taste of the nuts has a delicate texture and a resinous taste very similar to the nuts of Siberian pine. Pine nuts are considered the largest edible seeds among pine plants. The yield of mature trees is 3-8 tons of nuts per 1 hectare. Italian pine can live more than 500 years and still actively bear fruit.
Wild pine is widespread on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the Iberian Peninsula and Asia Minor. Pine is cultivated in the Caucasus and Crimea. The world's main exporters of pine nuts are: Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Italy and Türkiye.
The first mentions of the use of pine nuts have been preserved since the existence of the Roman Empire. Before tiring and long military campaigns, soldiers took nuts with them to satisfy mild hunger and restore strength. Avicenna was the first to describe the beneficial properties of pine in his book “The Canon of Medical Science.”
Selection and use
When purchasing pine seeds, you should pay attention to unshelled nuts. They can be stored for a long time without losing their properties. Shelled nuts cannot be stored for more than two weeks. After this time, the fats in the pine tree begin to oxidize and go rancid, and the fruits themselves absorb foreign odors. To prolong the freshness of shelled pine nuts, they should be stored in the freezer.
Pine nuts are widely used in Italian and French cuisines for the preparation of confectionery and classic sauces, and they are also used as a savory spice for red meat.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Beneficial properties of pine nuts
Composition and presence of nutrients
The vitamin and mineral composition of pine nuts includes vitamins: groups , , , minerals: phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, cobalt.
Pine nuts, like the nuts of other pine trees, contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fats.
Useful and healing properties
Nuts contain substances that help heal stomach ulcers and normalize the functioning of the stomach and intestines. Powdered nuts can be used to heal wounds. To do this, the powder is poured into the wound and a gauze bandage is made. The same dressing can be used to treat skin ulcers and burns with hot water or steam.
Eating whole peeled pine nuts has a diuretic effect, normalizes the functioning of the kidneys, liver, intestines, and also increases the potency and motility of sperm. Pine nuts are useful for chronic fatigue caused by active mental activity, low immunity, skin diseases, heart diseases, gallstones and allergies.
Healing tincture of pine nuts
If you prepare an alcohol infusion from whole, unpeeled pine seeds, you can get an excellent remedy for back pain caused by osteochondrosis. To do this, pine seeds (300 g) along with the shell should be crushed in a coffee grinder and pour boiled water (0.5 l) cooled to 50°C. The resulting infusion should be left to brew in a dark place for 4-5 days. After this time, it is necessary to add medical purified alcohol (0.5 l) to the container with the infusion and leave it to stand for another 3-4 weeks. The finished tincture should be filtered through cheesecloth and honey (200 g) added to it. Then pour everything into tightly closed dark glass bottles. You need to take 1 tbsp of the medicinal tincture throughout the day. l. before every meal. The tincture should be stored in a cool, dark place. Sometimes separation of pine tincture occurs. The nut oil rises to the top, and resinous substances precipitate. If this happens, the entire mixture should be shaken well before use to mix the components again.
Siberian pine (Siberian cedar)
, or Siberian cedar- a tall evergreen slender tree up to 40 m tall and up to 2 m in trunk diameter. Much more commonly known as cedar pine or Siberian cedar. The crown is ovoid, dense, the bark at a young age is gray, smooth, in older trees it is fissured. The needles are collected in bunches of 5 pieces, 6-13 cm long, dense, prickly, dark green, with light stomatal stripes, stored on the tree for 3-5 years. The cones are large, up to 13 cm long, and ripen in the second year after flowering. Seeds are 10-14 mm long and 6-10 mm wide, with a woody skin.
Distributed from the northern regions of Mongolia to the Arctic Circle. For the most part, the pine range covers the territory of Siberia and only slightly extends beyond the Ural Mountains, into the European part of Russia. Prefers rich loamy and well-drained rocky and gravelly soils on mountain slopes, and is quite tolerant in marshy areas. In a significant part of its range it grows on soils with permafrost, but despite this, it does not tolerate frozen horizons and groundwater close to the surface. In Altai and the Sayan Mountains, Siberian pine grows high in the mountains, reaching 2400 m above vp. seas. It achieves its greatest productivity on well-drained alluvial soils of river valleys and on deep soils on gentle slopes. Winter hardiness 1. Non-drought resistant. Moderately gas-resistant. In the first 10-15 years it is shade-tolerant, then the need for light increases. During the first 60-80 years it grows slowly, later the growth increases noticeably. Durability up to 500 years. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 20-70 years.
It blooms in Novosibirsk at the end of May. The seeds ripen in September. It bears fruit once every 3-4 years. The seed yield is 48-50% of the total mass of cones. There are about 2 thousand seeds in one kilogram. In good years, you can get up to 100 cones from one tree; more often there are 25-30 of them and they are concentrated mainly at the top of the crown.
Propagated by seeds. It is preferable to sow in spring after preliminary cold stratification for 4-6 months. Shoots appear 5-6 weeks after sowing. To speed up the onset of fruiting, grafting of fruiting branches onto young plants is used.
The economic importance of Siberian pine is enormous due to its valuable wood and pine nuts. Lately, cedar has been frequently used in green building. Beautiful slender trees look great both in single and group plantings. They are of particular interest when creating gardens and parks.
“Pine nuts” contain up to 60-70% oil and 20% proteins, which are well absorbed by the human body and give it strength and vigor, improve metabolism, and nourish a body exhausted by disease. Nuts contain many microelements and B vitamins, which makes their daily consumption necessary in long winter conditions. Oil and milk obtained from the kernels of cedar fruits are used as a basis for medicines and cosmetics for the care of skin, hair, and teeth. The shells of the fruits of this tree are brewed with boiling water at a ratio of 1:2 and drunk for hemorrhoids and kidney diseases. Turpentine and rosin are extracted from cedar resin by distillation, which are widely used for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes: turpentine, for example, is part of ready-made ointments and plasters used for irritating purposes in the treatment of joint diseases, radiculitis, myositis, etc. Inhalation of turpentine vapor or pine needle extract is used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract. This extract is also used for baths as a relaxing agent.
- Pinus halepensis
A tree up to 40 m high, with a beautiful, light green, dense, but soft, wide and pyramidal crown, then taking on the shape of an irregular umbrella, often very spreading. The trunk is oblique and sometimes curved. The upper part and branches are covered with thin silvery bark, which in old trees becomes wrinkled, cracked and grayish from the base. Needles - 7-12 cm long and 0.7 mm thick - are arranged in pairs, wrapped at the base in a shiny, thin and durable shell; soft and delicate needles sometimes curl. Male spikelets are yellow, small and oblong, there are many of them at the base of this year's shoots; female cones are at first round, then become conical and after maturation, which lasts three years, acquire a beautiful, shiny red-brown color. They have a short, downwardly curved peduncle; there are usually so many of them that old cracked cones can darken the crown of the tree. The scales have a barely protruding, rounded tubercle; the blackish seeds have an elongated wing.
Aleppo pine prefers calcareous soils and a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and hot and dry summers. Indeed, eye-catching pine forests are spread out on rocky slopes, sometimes steeply overhanging the sea, and they contain many Mediterranean plants (mastic tree, filirea, cistus and others).
SPREADING. The entire Mediterranean coastline, from the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco, Lebanon and Syria. In Italy, along the Italian coast you can see many wild pine trees: for example, in Liguria (Chiavari, Lerici, Montemarcello), Conero, Mapche, San Domino (Tremit), Gargano.
APPLICATION. Aleppo pine is grown not only for afforestation and for decorative purposes, but on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean it produces an excellent quality resin, which is also used for food preservation. For example, in Greece, “retsina,” or resinous wine, has a strong odor due to the presence of Aleppo pine resin in it.
SIMILAR SPECIES. Calabrian pine, or Brutal (Pinus brutia), which many consider as a subspecies of Aleppo pine, although its name is not from Calabria at all, but from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. It is distinguished by gray and wrinkled bark, darker, tougher, up to 1.5 mm thick and up to 16 cm long needles; The female cones have almost no peduncle, they sit in whorls of 2-4 on the branches, and are never drooping. In Italy, it was called Calabrian by Michele Tenore (1780-1861), a Neapolitan botanist who first described it after finding a small pine forest in the mountains of Calabria. This pine is considered endemic to this region.
The range of this North American species extends from the Mackenzie River and Bear Lake (Canada) in the northwest to northern Vermont and Maine (USA) in the southwest. Banks pine grows in sandy soils of the plains and hills.
The wood of this species is hard and heavy. It is used in construction, goes into sawlogs, and is used to prepare sulfate pulp.
Banks pine has been cultivated since 1785. The aromatic resin that often appears on the shoots makes it especially desirable in plantings near sanatoriums and holiday homes, where it looks impressive in group plantings. Even relatively large plants tolerate replanting well.
White pine (Japanese) 2
In Japan, this type of pine is a symbol of longevity and a symbol of the beginning of the year. It is believed that on New Year's Day the spirits of ancestors stop in the crowns of these trees.
Due to its decorative value, white pine is quite often found in the parks of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, where it has taken root well due to the mild and humid climate.
Eastern white pine (Weymouth) 1
The “endless forest” so vividly described by Fenimore Cooper in his novel “The Last of the Mohicans” consisted primarily of eastern white pines. But the action of this novel takes place in the mid-18th century, when the Appalachian Mountains in eastern North America were indeed covered with endless impenetrable pine forests. Already at that time, people were cutting down these trees with all their might to build ship masts and houses, so that by the middle of the 19th century, the old pine forests were greatly thinned out. Fortunately, fairly extensive tracts of eastern white pine forests have survived to this day. These trees are characterized by soft whitish wood, bluish-green soft needles collected in bunches of five, and narrow pointed cones with thin covering scales. Eastern white pine is cold tolerant but does not do well in dry, windy climates. In some regions of the United States, these trees are severely affected by rust (a disease caused by a microscopic fungus) and environmental pollution.
Weymouth pine is one of the North American species that is found in the northeastern part of North America. Having a wide range, this plant almost never forms pure stands, growing together with oaks, maples and hemlocks.
Its homogeneous, soft wood, which is well processed, became the main reason for the merciless extermination of Weymouth pine during the 18th century. Mostly valuable raw materials were used to manufacture sailing ships commissioned by the English Royal Navy. Today, high-quality building material is obtained from this type of wood; it is used in furniture production and interior decoration.
As an ornamental species, Weymouth pine is cultivated in the European part of Russia.
FEATURES OF THE SPECIES
Attractive, slender, decorative tree. Its crown in youth is dense and narrowly pyramidal, with age it becomes widely branched, with horizontally spaced branches. Foliage and branching are rare. The trunk of young trees is smooth, shiny, gray-green, while that of old trees is lamellar. Young shoots are thin and pubescent. Wind-resistant, withstands snow well. A negative quality of this type is its low resistance to blister rust.
It grows quickly, second only to larch among conifers.
Area Eastern part of North America.
Dimensions of an adult plant Tree 40-50 m high (up to 61 m).
Decorativeness The “fluffy” crown is very beautiful.
Needle shape Bluish-green needles in bunches of 5 pieces, soft, thin, up to 10 cm long.
Time and form of flowering Blooms in April - early May.
Cones The cones are narrow-cylindrical (16x4 cm), 1-3 on petioles up to 1.5 cm long.
Soil requirements It grows well on different types of soil, except saline ones. It develops better on leached black soil.
Attitude to light Shade-tolerant (less demanding of light than other types of pine).
Resistance to urban conditions The species is resistant to smoke and gases.
Frost resistance Frost-resistant.
Shelter for the winter Young plants in the first year of planting.
Lifespan Lives 400 years.
Similar types Various varieties of pines with five-needle needles are very similar to this pine, but most often these are trees that are rarely grown outside their homeland. However, it must be mentioned Balkan Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce), distinguished by the dark green color of its needles, its crown is denser, and the length of the cones is up to 15 cm, they have a short stalk, and, when ripe, they bend almost like a banana.
Whitebark pine (chainmail)
This species is native to the mountains of southeastern Europe. It has been cultivated since 1851, but has only become more popular recently. Whitebark pine is decorative due to its beautiful crown shape, is not demanding on growing conditions, and is resistant to smoke and dust, which is why it is widely cultivated in many countries, including Russia.
The tree looks impressive in single and group plantings and is better suited for a small garden plot due to its slow growth. This is a fairly rare tree, growing in certain places, it was discovered in the Calabrian-Lucan Apennines only in 1828 by Michele Tenore, a Neapolitan botanist. On the Balkan slopes, this pine forms extensive forests. In Italy, the most beautiful specimens of chain pine are found in the Pollino massif; in the town of Serra delle Chavole - next to young trees - there are majestic pine trees that are a thousand years old, and white skeletons that have lost their bark - the lifeless remains of ancient giants.
(Pinus bungeana)
Height: up to 30 m.
Area: Northern China.
Places of growth: mixed forests on rocky hills and mountains (at an altitude of up to 1830 m above sea level).
Thanks to the graceful shape of the crown and unusual spotted bark, this tree is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful. The old pine trees in the vicinity of Beijing are especially famous for their splendor. The most famous of them is Nine Dragon Pine, growing near the Jie Tai Temple. Its trunk, at a short distance from the ground, is divided into nine thick branches. They say that it was this tree, more than 900 years old, that was described in 1831 by the Russian botanist Alexander Bunge as the first specimen of a new species of pine discovered by him for science. In honor of this scientist, the species received its name in 1847. The dark green, shiny needles of the Bunge pine reach a length of 8 cm and are collected in bunches of three. The small round cones contain large seeds, which are used as food in China. Bunge pine is taken under state protection.
The bark of young Bunge pines is mottled with green, brown and black spots. In old pines, the bark of the trunk and branches is covered with a whitish coating and from a distance appears silvery.
3
Geldreich's pine, or Bosnian pine, can be found in the mountains of Southern Europe. This species grows slowly: its annual growth in height does not exceed 20-25 cm, and in width - 10 cm. It is a long-lived tree species. For example, in 1989, a specimen was found in Southern Italy that was more than 960 years old, but more recently in Bulgaria a plant was discovered that was 350 years older than the previous record-holder tree!
Being a valuable ornamental species, Geldreich pine has several varieties that are cultivated in many countries. Unfortunately, Russian gardeners are not yet very familiar with this wonderful type of pine.
The light and durable wood of the limber pine is used for sleepers and fuel, and is also used in construction, and its large, wingless, very nutritious seeds, the so-called “nuts,” serve as food for rodents and birds.
At home, this type of pine is planted in avalanche-prone areas to reduce the threat of snow falls.
In the Himalayas, on the southern slopes of Annapurna, at altitudes of 1800-3750 m above sea level, graceful trees grow, up to 50 m high, with a pyramidal crown and gray-green short needles, which are collected in bunches of five. This is the Himalayan pine, or Wallichiana pine. In India and Nepal there are many plant species with the specific epithet "wallichiana" or "walliohli". They are named after one of the first plant collectors in the Himalayas, Nathaniel Wallich (N. Wallich), who visited these places in the 20s of the XIX century.
This species is very decorative thanks to its wonderful, long hanging cones.
9
This species can be a tree up to 10 m high or a multi-stemmed bush. Its range is Southern and Central Europe; in the Carpathians it forms crooked forests on slopes and swamps above the border of coniferous forests.
Mountain pine wood is used to make carpentry and turning products, and its resin is used in medicine and cosmetics. In Crimea, it is used to strengthen slopes with poor soil.
Mountain pine is widely known as a decorative species, decorating gardens and personal plots and often used to create low-growing decorative groups.
4
This species is of interest to landscapers, gardeners, and also to lovers of bonsai style.
Its highly valuable wood is widely used as a building material, used in the manufacture of carpentry and furniture, and also for sawing. Pine, or yellow pine, was discovered for science in 1826 by the famous naturalist David Douglas. Because of its denser wood than other pines, he gave it the Latin species name “ponderosa,” which has taken root in everyday life. Heavy pine, growing in favorable conditions, amazes the eye with its austere beauty. Its straight trunk is covered with a narrow, almost cylindrical crown and covered with fissured bark, consisting of irregularly shaped plates of yellow-brown, reddish and pinkish-gray color. Dark green needles reach a length of 25 cm and grow on branches in bunches of three.
Forests where heavy pine predominates are usually devoid of undergrowth from shrubs and low trees. Their main inhabitants are deer, as well as birds and squirrels that feed on pine seeds.
Yellow pine looks very impressive thanks to its decorative brown cones, collected in whorls of three, so it is often used in landscape design.
Italian pine, or pine tree - Pinus pinea
In Italy, this tree, reaching a height of 25 m, is also called cedar pine; This is a truly majestic tree, especially its older specimens - primarily because of its extraordinary umbrella-shaped crown, one of a kind. It is formed by branches that are concentrated in the upper part of the trunk - all their legs (tops) are directed upward. The trunk is straight, in older specimens it is often forked quite high: in this case, two separate umbrellas are formed. The bark is at first gray and slightly wrinkled, but with age deep grooves appear on it; it seems to consist of rectangular brownish-gray plates (films). The needles are 12-15 cm long and up to 2 mm thick, hard, slightly twisted, bright green in color, they have spiny tips, and at the base they are wrapped in a transparent dense sheath. There are a lot of small oblong yellow spikelets at the base of this year's shoots. At first, small and round female cones are sessile, then they become spherical and heavy, their width and length are 10-12 cm. At first, the cones are green; When mature after three years, they become a shiny red-brown. The scales are thick and lignified, with a rounded tubercle, each of them contains two large seeds with a lignified shell (“pine nuts”), they have almost no wing, they are covered with purple-black powder.
Ecology. Italian pines grow from the coast up to an altitude of 600 m above sea level (holm oak climate zone), on soft, acidic soils. They cover all the dunes, where forests only of Italian pine are found, as well as mixed forests with an admixture of maritime pine, holm oak, English oak, elm and ash. Groves of Italian pine eventually become closed, with very sparse undergrowth.
SPREADING. From Spain to the island of Cyprus and further along the southern coast of the Black Sea.
In Italy it is very difficult to know whether groves of Italian pine are wild or artificial plantings. Here you can name pine forests in Aquileia, Grado, Lignano, Classe, San Vitale, Casal Borsetti and in Cervia on the high Adriatic coast, in addition - in Macchia di Lucca, Migliarino, San Rossore, Tombolo, Cecina, Donoratico, Castiglione della Pescaia , Castelporziano and Castelvolturno on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and Playa di Catania on the coast of the Ionian Sea.
APPLICATION. In ancient times, Italian pine was bred for its "pine nuts", which, together with edible chestnuts, formed the basis of the Italian diet. For example, it is believed that groves of Italian pine on the high shores of the Adriatic Sea appeared precisely for this reason, in other words, these are not wild trees, especially since the climate is not very suitable for this species.
Similar view - Canary pine (Pinus canariensis) It is also very often grown on the sea coast, but it has a pyramidal rather than an umbrella-shaped crown, the needles are combined in bunches of three, the cones are drooping and elongated, with pedicels.
Wood is used as a material for construction and carpentry work, and is also used for the production of pencils. However, as a rare species, it is listed in the Red Book, so its economic use is limited.
Valuable wood of this type is light, resinous, and easy to process. It is used as a construction and ornamental material.
1
- Pinus uncinata
Height up to 20 m.
The shape is correctly conical.
The bark is gray, wrinkled and furrowed.
The leaves are needle-shaped, hard and spiny.
The male flowers are small, yellow spikelets; female - spherical purple-red cones.
The fruits are small ovoid cones with a hooked-curved tubercle.
The tree is small in size, sometimes reaching 20 m in height, with a dense dark green regular crown in the shape of a narrow cone, slightly more spreading in older specimens, with the ends of all branches facing upward. The trunk is straight, slender, covered with matte gray wrinkled bark in young trees, then the bark is covered with dense grooves, forming almost rectangular plates. The needles - 3.5-4 cm long and 1.3 mm thick - are arranged in pairs, they are very hard, prickly, and bright dark green in color. Male cones, like those of other pines: yellow, there are many of them at the base of new shoots, and female cones on a short peduncle, usually paired and opposite or 3-4 pieces - in whorls - are located on the branches. At first they are spherical, violet-red, after pollination they become green, acquiring a pointed ovoid shape and, with rare exceptions, reaching a length of 4.5 cm. When the scales are open, the outline of the cone is spherical or round. On the scales, especially the lower ones, there is a strongly protruding tubercle with a clearly visible longitudinal “boat” and a “protrusion” curved down like a hook (an important distinguishing feature).
ORIGIN. Mountains of Southern and Western Europe.
ECOLOGY. A typical alpine tree species adapted to a cold continental climate, hook pine prefers to grow at high altitudes - from 1200 to 2700 m above sea level, where the cold (frost) lasts from 6 to 9 months and the air is quite dry in summer. It very actively colonizes rocky and sediment-rich slopes, with predominantly calcareous or mixed soils, usually illuminated by the sun. It forms pine forests, sometimes quite large and very beautiful.
SPREADING. Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Vosges, Black Forest, Central and Western Alps.
APPLICATION. Mugolio, a balsamic essential oil that is used to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract, is extracted from the buds of the hooked pine, as well as from the buds of the mountain pine.
SIMILAR SPECIES. mountain pine (Pinus mugo), which displaces hooked pine in the Eastern Alps and Apennines. This is a low shrub that can also be recognized by its cones, which do not have a curved protrusion on the scales.
, or Monterey (Pinus radiata)
Height: up to 61 m.
Area: coast of Central California (USA), islands off the northern coast of the California Peninsula (Mexico).
Places of growth: coniferous forests on the coastal hills (at an altitude of up to 300 m on the mainland and up to 1100 m on the islands).
In its homeland, in California, radiata pine has almost no economic importance, but in some countries of the world (especially in New Zealand, Australia, Chile and South Africa) it is widely grown on plantations. The climate of New Zealand and the southeastern part of Australia is so to the liking of radiata pine that many trees here reach much higher heights than in their historical homeland. Undoubtedly, the good growth of trees here is facilitated by the absence of natural pests and diseases (for the same reason, Australian eucalyptus trees often grow better in foreign lands). Radiata pine plantations produce a huge mass of light, fairly dense wood. It is used to build houses, make furniture, cardboard and paper.
The dense green needles of Pine radiata reach a length of 15 cm. This tree is one of several species of pine whose seeds can remain in closed cones for years - a characteristic feature of trees growing in fire-prone areas.
SIMILAR SPECIES. The radiata pine has much in common with other American species, especially drooping pine "jelicot" (Pinus patula), which occupied the central mountain ranges in Mexico. It is distinguished by very long needles (up to 30 cm) and very elongated cones, but they are still less short and less asymmetrical.
It is a very beautiful species in cultivation, but dead needles continue to remain on the tree for a long time and spoil its appearance, so it is recommended to remove them manually. Looks good in rock gardens or as a bonsai.
- Pinus pinaster
A tree reaching a height of 35 m, with a crown that is initially conical and regular, which then gradually expands, becoming irregularly dome-shaped or almost umbrella-shaped. The trunk is straight at first, then tends to grow obliquely or is slightly curved; young trees have gray and slightly wrinkled bark; subsequently, deep grooves and almost rectangular films (plates) appear, which peel off in layers. The needles - 15-20 cm long and up to 2 mm thick - are flat, at the base they are wrapped in a long, strong, thin and shiny shell; the needles are hard and end with a sharp end, almost a thorn. At the base of young shoots there are a lot of small, cylindrical ovoid male spikelets, which turn yellow when ripe. Female cones are sessile, ovoid, often in whorls along the branches and there are 2-3 of them at the end of the trunk. They ripen for two years, becoming very lignified and acquiring a pointed conical shape, first the cones are green, then brownish-red, 10-20 cm long; on the scales there is a sharp, prickly tubercle.
Ecology. Maritime pine grows on sea shores, rising up to 800 m above sea level (Atlas Mountains in Morocco) and very rarely up to 2000 m. It prefers crumbly soils, well-ventilated areas, in particular coastal sand. Maritime pine needs acidic and acidified soils; it avoids limestone. In Liguria and Provence, maritime pine climbs crystalline mountain slopes, forming groves with an undergrowth of various types of heather, prickly gorse, cistus, myrtle and arbutus. On sand dunes it is mixed with Italian pine, creating classic coastal pine forests. Fires often break out in coastal pine groves, but they do not interfere with the growth of trees; moreover, they contribute to the rapid emergence of forests in burnt areas.
SPREADING. The habitat of the maritime pine is the coast from the western Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. In Italy, everywhere from Ventimiglia to Naples, the maritime pine is found and can be admired in its natural setting, for example, on the slopes above Varazze, Voltri, at the foot of the Apuan Alps and on the hills between Florence, Arezzo and Siena. On sand dunes it grows in the same place as Italian pine. On the islands, with the exception of Elba and Giglio, the maritime pine is rare, but it is worth mentioning its groves in Montagna Grande Pantelleria - this is the southernmost point where the maritime pine reaches in Italy.
APPLICATION. The main use of seaside pine is to strengthen the sands on the coast. It was once grown for the production of resin (resin), which flows in large quantities from cuts (cuts) in the bark.
Under natural conditions, black pine grows in Central and Southern Europe, as well as in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. A tree no more than 30 m high, with a dense, regular, pyramidal, dark green crown; in older specimens the crown is spreading and dome-shaped. The straight trunk is covered with wrinkled and furrowed grayish-brown bark, consisting of almost rectangular plates, which in old trees become larger, acquiring a characteristic whitish color. Flat dark green needles are more or less hard, from 4 to 19 cm long and 1-2 mm thick, they are sharp and prickly. Numerous yellow, sometimes with red specks, cylindrical oblong male spikelets appear at the base of young shoots; sessile single, pairs or three female cones are located on the branches, at first they are ovoid, then ovoid-conical, their length is not more than 8 cm, they are matte, immature - green, then become brown-ocher. This species is very diverse, and there are at least five geographical species, which are subspecies: Pinus nigra in Austria, Central and Northern Italy, Greece; Pinus salzmannii- in Chevennes and the Pyrenees; Pinus laricio- in Corsica, Calabria and Sicily; Pinus dalmatica- in the former western part of Yugoslavia; Pinus pallasiana (Crimean pine)- on the Balkan Peninsula, in the Southern Carpathians and Crimea.
Its wood has a high resin content; it is strong, elastic and hard. Often used in shipbuilding and to create underwater structures.
High frost resistance and low demands on soil composition allow this species to grow and develop well in northern latitudes.
Pine family. Distributed along the entire Mediterranean coast from the Iberian Peninsula to Asia Minor. In the mountainous regions of Spain and Italy it rises to a height of up to 1000 m. It is also found in Germany and Central Europe, on the southern coast of Crimea, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, eastern Transcaucasia and Georgia. Lives more than 500 years.
In cultivation since 1814. It is a medium-sized tree 20-30 m in height. Fast growing when young. The crown is compact, umbrella-shaped. Branches horizontal, with ends raised upward. Young trees have a rounded crown and branches directed obliquely upward. Trunk in old trees it is reddish-gray, the bark is long-furrowed, strongly flaky, separated in large plates. Young trees have smooth, light gray bark.
Young shoots gray-green or light yellow to yellow-brown, densely furred, hairless. Kidneys grow at the ends of shoots, sharply ovoid in shape, covered with light brown scales, unevenly jagged edges, 6-12 mm in length, not resinous. The kidney apices have an upward curved apex, are oblong, brown in color with a silvery fringe. Forms a good tap root.
Needles dense, 10-15 cm in length and 1.5-2 mm in width, protruding, dark green throughout the year, sometimes bluish, collected in bunches of 2 pieces, dense.
Blooms in June-July. Male strobili are up to 1 cm in length, oval, and appear in large numbers. Female cones are solitary, rarely grow in groups of 2 or 3, ovoid or spherical in shape, 8-15 cm in length and up to 10 cm in diameter, hanging on short stalks, slightly pointed at the tops and with a depressed base. They ripen in the third year in October and open the following spring. After the seeds fall out, they hang on the tree for another 2-3 years. The scales are woody, dense, slightly pyramidal, and raised. The scutes of the lower scales are hexagonal in shape, with radial ribs, and form a longitudinal keel. The seeds are large, 15-2 cm in length and 7-11 mm in width, elongated-ovoid in shape, dark brown, also found with light spots, matte, oily, slightly grooved, so one side is convex and the other is flat. Edible. The shell is thick. Without a wing or with a vestige of a wing on the thickened part in the form of a membranous border. Seeds pine trees are the largest of the genus Pine. 1 kg contains 1500 pieces. The yield is high - 3-8 tons of seeds are obtained from 1 hectare. In Italy, pine seeds are called pineoli.
Frost resistance zone: 7b.
Location: loves dry, warm and loose soil. Grows well in sandy or dry calcareous soils. Photophilous, drought-resistant. Can grow in places with rainfall up to 300 mm per year. Tolerates short-term frosts down to -18 degrees Celsius. Does not tolerate excessive moisture and needs drainage. It is wind-resistant, but constant strong wind changes the shape of the crown to a more elongated one.
Planting and pruning: planting and pruning are carried out in the same way as for. When forming pruning, it is best to use a broom style with a wide and flat crown.
Reproduction: propagates well by seeds. Seeds germinate without pre-sowing treatment.
Diseases and pests: severely damaged by scale insects.
Usage: Used for bonsai style cultivation. It has very decorative needles, crown shape, and cones. Enriches the landscape of coastal areas and is used to decorate architectural structures. They are also planted along roads and alleys to create shade. Looks impressive in parks when planting individual trees or in groups in open areas. Looks beautiful in contrasting combination with pyramidal ones.
