Stone Pine (Pinus pinea)

General Information

• Common Names: Italian stone pine, Mediterranean stone pine, umbrella pine, parasol pine
• Family: Pinaceae
• Native Region: Mediterranean, Southern Europe, Levant
• Also naturalized in: North Africa, Canary Islands, South Africa, New South Wales

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Botanical Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Clade: Tracheophytes, Gymnospermae
• Division: Pinophyta
• Class: Pinopsida
• Order: Pinales
• Family: Pinaceae
• Genus: Pinus
• Subgenus: P. subg. Pinus
• Section: P. sect. Pinus
• Subsection: Pinus subsect. Pinaster
• Species: Pinus pinea

Description

• Type: Coniferous evergreen tree
• Height: Typically 12-20m, can exceed 25m
• Youth Form: Bushy globe
• Mid-age Form: Umbrella canopy
• Maturity Form: Broad flat crown
• Bark: Thick, red-brown, deeply fissured
• Foliage: Needle-like, in bundles of two, 10-20cm long
• Juvenile Leaves: Single, glaucous blue-green, up to 30cm

Cones and Seeds

• Cone Size: 8-15cm long
• Maturation: 36 months
• Seeds (Pine Nuts): 2cm long, pale brown, animal-dispersed

Distribution and Habitat

• Historic Range: North Africa (Sahara, Maghreb)
• Current Range:
  • Southern Europe: Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Albania, Croatia, Crimea, Greece
  • Western Asia: Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian Territories
  • Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria
  • South Africa: Western Cape Province
• Introduced in Europe and USA (up to New Jersey)

Cultivation and Use

• Cultivated for over 6,000 years for edible pine nuts
• Ornamental use in gardens and parks worldwide
• Awarded Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit
• Economic Products: Resin, bark for tannin, pine cone shells for fuel
• Environmental Protection: Coastal dune stabilization, soil conservation
• Symbol of Rome, used in historic Roman roads

Threats

• Invasive pest: Western conifer seed bug
• Emerging pathogen: Pestalotiopsis pini fungus

Cultural Significance

• Symbol of Rome, planted during Roman Republic
• Ornamental use during Ottoman period in Istanbul
• Introduced in 1700s to other Mediterranean climate regions

Miscellaneous

• Small specimens used for bonsai and as table-top Christmas trees
• Found in bonsai and large planters