Pinus nigra Seeds | European Black Pine
LATIN NAME: Pinus nigra
COMMON NAME: European Black Pine
Plant Profile
Pinus nigra is the two-needle pine of the Mediterranean mountains, and it has been planted so widely in shelterbelts and in plantations that its native range is now hard to read. The needles are long, stiff and dark, in pairs, and they are held densely on the shoot. The bark is grey-brown and breaks into plates, and the crown is broad and irregular on an old tree.
The species grows from Spain to the Crimea and into Asia Minor, usually on limestone between 300 and 1,800 metres, in mountains with dry summers and cold winters. Several subspecies are recognised, and two are widely planted: the Austrian pine of central Europe, which is hardy and wind-firm, and the Corsican pine of the Mediterranean, which is faster and taller but less hardy.
Science & Biotechnology
The species is the main host of Dothistroma needle blight, a fungal disease that has become a serious problem in plantations. The fungus infects the needle and produces a red band that girdles it, and the needle dies above the band. Repeated infection defoliates the tree and reduces growth, and in wet climates the disease can make the species uneconomic.
The subspecies differ in more than hardiness. Corsican pine has longer needles, a straighter trunk and better timber, and it was planted extensively in Britain and in France; Austrian pine is slower, denser and more tolerant of wind, salt and poor soil. The two intergrade in the Balkans, and planting stock is often of hybrid origin, which makes provenance records unreliable.
Uses & Benefits
The timber is resinous, strong and durable, and it is used for construction, for pit props and for railway sleepers. The tree is planted in shelterbelts, on dunes and on reclaimed land, where its tolerance of wind and salt is the reason. It is also used as an ornamental, particularly the dwarf and columnar forms sold for small gardens.
The resin was tapped for turpentine and for pitch, and the bark was used for tanning. In Mediterranean practice the needles are used for a tea and the resin as a plaster for wounds, though neither is a commercial use today.
Growing from Seed
Seed germinates without pretreatment. Sow in spring at 18 to 20 degrees, and seedlings appear in three to five weeks. The tree transplants well when small, and it should be planted out at two or three years, before the taproot has become established.
The tree wants full sun and a well-drained soil, and it tolerates lime, drought, wind and salt. It is hardy to about minus thirty. It does not tolerate shade or wet ground, and it is sensitive to air pollution in some forms. In a garden, choose a named dwarf form, since the species becomes a large tree with a broad crown.
Our Take
A tough pine for wind and lime, and the parent of the dwarf forms that fill half the shrub borders in Europe.
Related Reading
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