Pinus nigra

Pinus nigra, the Austrian pine<ref>Template:PLANTS</ref> or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as well as Crimea and in the high mountains of Northwest Africa.

Description

Pinus nigra is a large coniferous evergreen tree, growing to Template:Convert high at maturity and spreading to Template:Convert wide. The bark is gray to yellow-brown, and is widely split by flaking fissures into scaly plates, becoming increasingly fissured with age. The leaves ('needles') are thinner and more flexible in western populations.Template:Citation needed

The ovulate and pollen cones appear from May to June. The mature seed cones are Template:Convert (rarely to Template:Convert) long, with rounded scales; they ripen from green to pale gray-buff or yellow-buff in September to November, about 18 months after pollination. The seeds are dark gray, Template:Convert long, with a yellow-buff wing Template:Convert long; they are wind-dispersed when the cones open from December to April. maturity is reached at 15–40 years; large seed crops are produced at 2–5 year intervals.Template:Citation needed

Pinus nigra is moderately fast growing, at about Template:Convert per year. It usually has a rounded conic form, that becomes irregular with age. The tree can be long-lived, with some trees over 500 years old. Multiple pests can damage P. nigra, including T. piniperda.

Taxonomy

The species is divided into two subspecies, each further subdivided into three varieties.<ref>Christensen, K. I. (1993). Comments on the earliest validly published varietal name for the Corsican Pine. Taxon 42: 649-653.</ref> Some authorities (e.g. Flora Europaea) treat several of the varieties at subspecific rank, but this reflects tradition rather than sound taxonomy, as the distinctions between the taxa are small.<ref name=farjon>Farjon, A. (2005). Pines Drawings and Descriptions of the Genus Pinus 2nd ed. Brill Template:ISBN.</ref>

Subspecies

• P. nigra subsp. nigra in the east of the range, from Austria, northeast and central Italy, east to the Crimea and Turkey. Needles stout, rigid, Template:Convert diameter, with 3–6 layers of thick-walled hypodermal cells.
  • P. nigra subsp. nigra var. nigra (syn. Pinus nigra var. austriaca, Pinus nigra subsp. dalmatica) (Austrian pine): Austria, Balkans (except southern Greece).
  • P. nigra subsp. nigra var. caramanica (Turkish black pine): Turkey, Cyprus, southern Greece.
  • P. nigra subsp. nigra var. italica (Italian black pine): central Italy (Villetta Barrea, in Abruzzo National Park)
  • P. nigra subsp. nigra var. pallasiana (syn. Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana) (Crimean pine): Crimea, Cyprus.
• P. nigra subsp. salzmannii in the west of the range, from southern Italy to southern France, Spain and North Africa. Needles slender, more flexible, Template:Convert diameter, with 1–2 layers of thin-walled hypodermal cells.
  • P. nigra subsp. salzmannii var. salzmannii (Pyrenean pine): Pyrenees, Southern France, Northern Spain.
  • P. nigra subsp. salzmannii var. corsicana (syn. Pinus nigra subsp. laricio, Pinus nigra var. maritima) (Corsican pine): Corsica, Sicily, Southern Italy.
    • P. nigra subsp. laricio Koekelare<ref name="Belgische Dendrologie Belge">Belgische Dendrologie Belge Pinus Nigra Laricio Koekelare</ref>
  • P. nigra subsp. salzmannii var. mauretanica (Atlas Mountains black pine): Morocco, Algeria.

Pinus nigra var. corsicana—Corsican pine, in Corsica

The Plants of the World Online and The Gymnosperm Database accept five subspecies and one variety.<ref name = powo>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = gd>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Pinus nigra subsp. dalmatica Template:Small (synonyms P. dalmatica Template:Small, P. nigra var. dalmatica Template:Small, P. nigra f. leucodermoides Template:Small).<ref name = dalmatica>Template:Cite web</ref> Endemic to Croatia, where it is found on the islands of Brač, Hvar, and Korčula and the Pelješac peninsula. The IUCN Red List assessed it as endangered.<ref>Farjon, A. 2013. Pinus nigra subsp. dalmatica The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T34191A2850164. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T34191A2850164.en. Accessed 14 February 2025.</ref>
• Pinus nigra subsp. laricio Template:Small (synonyms P. altissima Template:Small, P. italica Template:Small, P. karamana Template:Small, P. laricio Template:Small, P. nigra var. calabrica Template:Small, P. nigra var. corsicana Template:Small, P. nigra var. maritima Template:Small, P. sylvestris var. maritima Template:Small)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – Corsican Pine. Native to Corsica, Sicily, and the southern Apennines in Calabria.<ref name = gd/> The IUCN Red List assesses the subspecies as least-concern.<ref>Farjon, A. 2013. Pinus nigra subsp. laricio. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T20453493A20453502. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T20453493A20453502.en. Accessed 14 February 2025.</ref>
• Pinus nigra subsp. nigra eastern Austria to the Balkan Peninsula – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana Template:Small (synonyms P. fenzleyi Template:Small, P. nigra subsp. caramanica Template:Small, P. pallasiana Template:Small, P. pontica Template:Small, P. taurica Template:Small) Native to Cyprus, the East Aegean Islands, Crimean Peninsula, North Caucasus, and European and Asiatic Turkey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii Template:Small (synonyms P. nigra var. mauretanica Template:Small, P. nigra var. 'monspeliensis Template:Small, P. pyrenaica Template:Small, P. salzmannii Template:Small) – south-central France (Cévennes forest) to the Pyrenees, Spain, northern Morocco (Rif Mountains), and Algeria (Hodna Mountains).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pinus nigra f. seneriana Template:Small – northwestern Turkey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pinus nigra var. yaltirikiana Template:Small – northern Turkey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Distribution and habitat

Pinus nigra is a tree of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. The majority of the range is in Turkey. It is found in the higher elevations of the South Apennine mixed montane forests ecoregion in southern Italy and the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion in Sicily. There are remnant populations in the Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests ecoregion of northwestern Africa, specifically in the Rif Mountains of Morocco and Hodna Mountains of Algeria.<ref name = gd/>

It is found at elevations ranging from sea level to Template:Convert, most commonly from Template:Convert. Several of the varieties have distinct English names.<ref name="rushforth">Rushforth, K. (1987). Conifers. Helm Template:ISBN.</ref> It needs full sun to grow well, is intolerant of shade, and is resistant to snow and ice damage.Template:Citation needed

It has naturalized in parts of the midwestern states of the United States,Template:Citation needed normally south of the normal native ranges of native pines.Template:Citation needed

Oldest tree

The world's oldest black pine tree is about 1,000 years old and is in Turkey

The world's oldest black pine, located in the Banaz district of Uşak, Turkey, is estimated to be 1,000 years old. This makes it significant in the country, which is known for a very dry climate, inhospitable for most trees. It has a height of Template:Cvt, a diameter of Template:Cvt and a circumference of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ecology

In Mediterranean Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula (Asia Minor), trees usually associated with this species include Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii), Norway spruce (Picea abies), Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani), European silver fir (Abies alba) and related firs. Several species of juniper (Juniperus spp.), and various broadleaf trees are associates.Template:Citation needed

Climate and provenance

Pinus nigra is a light-demanding species, intolerant of shade but resistant to wind and drought.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The eastern P. nigra subsp. nigra exhibits greater winter frost hardiness (hardy to below Template:Convert) than the western P. nigra subsp. salzmannii (hardy to about Template:Convert).<ref name=Gymnosperm>Gymnosperm Database: Pinus nigra</ref>

Different provenances (seed sources by geographic area) or varieties are adapted to different soil types: Austrian and Pyrenees origins grow well on a wide range of soil types, Corsican origins grows poorly on limestone, while Turkish and Crimean origins grow well on limestone. Most provenances also show good growth on podzolic soils.Template:Citation needed

As an invasive species

Pinus nigra has become naturalised in a few areas of the US. In New Zealand it is considered an invasive species and noxious weed, along with lodgepole pine (P. contorta) and Scots pine (P. sylvestris), due to their habitat conversion nature in tussock grassland plant communities, shading out the native bunch grasses as their forest canopy develops.Template:Citation needed

Uses

Pinus nigra var. corsicana—Corsican pine plantation, in Belgium

Lumber

The timber of European black pine is similar to that of the European Scots pine (P. sylvestris) and the North American red pine (P. resinosa), being moderately hard and straight-grained. It does however tend to be rougher, softer, and not as strong, due to its faster growth. It is used for general construction, fuel, and in paper manufacture.Template:Citation needed

In the United Kingdom, Pinus nigra is important both as a timber tree and in plantations (primarily Corsican pine subsp.). Recently however, serious problems have occurred with red band needle blight disease, caused by the fungus Dothistroma septosporum, resulting in a major recent decline in forestry planting there.<ref>Forestry Commission: Red band needle blight</ref>

In the United States it is of low importance as a timber species.Template:Citation needed However, the fungus Dothistroma septosporum is widespread and rapidly spreading out of control throughout the United States.Template:Citation needed The species is not recommended for landscaping, especially in groups or rows.Template:Citation needed

As an ornamental

Bonsai Pinus nigra

In the US and Canada, the European black pine is planted as a street tree, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks. Its value as a street tree is largely due to its resistance to salt spray (from road de-icing salt) and various industrial pollutants (including ozone), and its intermediate drought tolerance. It is planted with great success as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the UK the tree is planted as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens.

In both the US and UK most of the specimens planted are from Austrian sources, the P. nigra subsp. nigra and P. nigra subsp. nigra var. nigra seed selections. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when demand for natural trees was extremely high, its rapid growth, deep green color and low cost made it briefly a popular Christmas tree,Template:Citation needed but the extreme length of the needles (making it very difficult to decorate) soon led to its fall from favor, and it has long since been abandoned in the US for that purpose.

Pinus nigra is also used in bonsai.

As a windbreak

P. nigra is planted for windbreaks and shelterbelts in the US, recommended for windbreaks in the Northern Great Plains on medium to deep moist or upland soils.Template:Citation needed

Ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal use

In Turkey, this pine (subsp. pallasiana) was and is used in various ways, both topically and internally, as well as for construction and for livestock. Among its uses are curing acne, common cold, osteomyelitis, and viral infections; acting as an oral antiseptic; treating cracked hands and feet in the winter; and sealing wooden roofs.Template:Citation needed

See also

• Austrian Resin Extraction

External links

• EUFORGEN species page: Pinus nigra. Information, distribution and related resources.