Pinus nigra seed
LATIN NAME: PINUS NIGRA
COMMON NAME: European Black Pine, Austrian Pine, Corsican Pine
The European black pine is a sturdy, dark evergreen of the southern mountains, and it has stood on the slopes of Europe for centuries. It grows as a tall, evergreen conifer, reaching up to forty metres, with a straight trunk and a broad or conical crown of long, paired, dark green needles, which give the tree its name, and large, woody cones. Several well-known forms are grown, including the Austrian pine and the Corsican pine, each with its own character, and the tree as a whole is a tough and adaptable pine of the mountains and the coast, widely planted for timber, shelter and ornament, and equally at home in the cold of the high slopes and in the wind and salt of the seashore.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The European black pine has a genuine and growing place in forestry and ecological research. It is one of the most important timber pines of Europe, and it has been studied extensively in forestry science, with researchers examining its growth, its wood and its management, while it has been planted widely for timber, for shelterbelts and for reforestation across the continent. The tree has also been studied in ecology, since it is a tough and adaptable pine that grows on the mountains and coasts of southern Europe, and researchers have examined its resistance to wind, salt and drought, which has made it valuable for coastal and mountain planting, and its role in holding the soil of steep slopes and dunes. Botanists have examined its variation, since it is a moderately variable species with several named subspecies and varieties across its wide range, from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, Corsica, Cyprus, Crimea and the high mountains of Northwest Africa.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the European Black Pine from seed, ecologically, the European black pine is a sturdy tree of the southern mountains. Its cones and seeds feed birds and small mammals, its dense evergreen crown gives shelter and nesting sites, and it holds the soil on the steep slopes and coastal dunes where it is planted, giving shelter from wind and salt. Its economic value is real and considerable: it is an important timber pine of Europe, used for construction, paper and other work, it is widely planted for shelterbelts, windbreaks and reforestation, and its ornamental forms are grown in parks and gardens, bringing the dark, sturdy character of the southern mountains to the landscape. To bring the European black pine on, sow the seeds in pots of free-draining compost in spring, pressing them in lightly, and keep them in a sunny spot, watering gently until the little pines are up.
sow the seeds in pots of free-draining compost in spring and press them in lightly, and keep the young pines in a sunny spot, watering gently until the little pines are up.
LATIN NAME: Pinus nigra
COMMON NAME: European Black Pine, Austrian Pine, Corsican Pine
The European black pine is a sturdy, dark evergreen of the southern mountains, and it has stood on the slopes of Europe for centuries. It grows as a tall, evergreen conifer, reaching up to forty metres, with a straight trunk and a broad or conical crown of long, paired, dark green needles, which give the tree its name, and large, woody cones. It is a tough and adaptable pine, and several well-known forms are grown, including the Austrian pine and the Corsican pine, each with its own character. It is a tree of the mountains and the coast, and it has been widely planted for timber, shelter and ornament.
The European black pine belongs to the pine family, Pinaceae, and it occurs across southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as well as Crimea and the high mountains of Northwest Africa. It is a moderately variable species with several named subspecies and varieties.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The European black pine has a genuine and growing place in both forestry and ecological research. It is one of the most important timber pines of Europe, and it has been studied extensively in forestry science, with researchers examining its growth, its wood and its management, and it has been planted widely for timber, for shelterbelts and for reforestation. The tree has also been studied in ecology, since it is a tough and adaptable pine that grows on the mountains and coasts of southern Europe, and researchers have examined its role in the landscape and its resistance to wind, salt and drought, which has made it valuable for coastal and mountain planting. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since the Austrian and Corsican pines are widely grown as ornamentals. For a pine of such wide planting and such toughness, the European black pine has a rich and continuing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the European black pine is a generous tree of the southern mountains. Its cones and seeds feed birds and small mammals, its dense evergreen crown gives shelter and nesting sites, and it holds the soil on the steep slopes and coastal dunes where it is planted, giving shelter from wind and salt.
Its economic value is real and considerable. It is an important timber pine of Europe, used for construction, paper and other work, and it is widely planted for shelterbelts, windbreaks and reforestation, while its ornamental forms are grown in parks and gardens. For a grower, the European black pine is a tough and valuable tree, and for a gardener it brings the dark, sturdy character of the southern mountains. The seeds are easy — sow them in a pot of free-draining compost in spring, keep them lightly covered in a sunny spot and water them gently, and theyll sprout within a few weeks, the little pines growing on steadily into dark, sturdy trees.