''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula 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

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

ous evergreen tree, growing to high at maturity and spreading to wide. The

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

is gray to yellow-brown, and is widely split by flaking fissures into scaly plates, becoming increasingly fissured with age. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

('needles') are thinner and more flexible in western populations. The ovulate and pollen cones appear from May to June. The mature seed cones are (rarely to 11 cm) 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, long, with a yellow-buff wing 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. ''Pinus nigra'' is moderately fast growing, at about 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.

Taxonomy

The species is divided into two subspecies, each further subdivided into three varieties.Gymnosperm Database
''Pinus nigra''
/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.Farjon, A. (2005). ''Pines Drawings and Descriptions of the Genus Pinus'' 2nd ed. Brill . ;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, 1.5–2 mm 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, 0.8–1.5 mm 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 Belgische Dendrologie Belg
''Pinus Nigra Laricio Koekelare''
/ref> ** ''P. nigra'' subsp. ''salzmannii'' var. ''mauretanica'' (Atlas Mountains black pine): Morocco, Algeria.

Distribution and habitat

''Pinus nigra'' is a tree of the

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...

biome. The majority of the range is in Turkey. It is found in the higher elevations of the

South Apennine mixed montane forests The South Apennine mixed montane forests is an ecoregion in the southern Apennine Mountains of southern Italy and Sicily. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. This ecoregion is restr ...

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 Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterrane ...

ecoregion, and in the higher

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

in Morocco and Algeria. It is found at elevations ranging from sea level to , most commonly from . Several of the varieties have distinct English names.Rushforth, K. (1987). ''Conifers''. Helm . It needs full sun to grow well, is intolerant of shade, and is resistant to snow and ice damage. It has naturalized in parts of the midwestern states of the United States,

Ecology

Crepuscular rays in the woods of Kasterlee, Belgium

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'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...

(''Picea abies''), Taurus cedar ('' Cedrus libani''), European silver fir (''Abies alba'') and related

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

s. Several species of

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

(''Juniperus'' spp.), and various

broadleaf tree A broad-leaved, broad-leaf, or broadleaf tree is any tree within the diverse botanical group of angiosperms that has flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. It is one of two general types of trees, the other being a conifer, a tree with ne ...

s are associates.

Climate and provenance

''Pinus nigra'' is a light-demanding species, intolerant of shade but resistant to wind and drought. The eastern ''P. nigra'' subsp. ''nigra'' exhibits greater winter frost hardiness (hardy to below −30 °C) than the western ''P. nigra'' subsp. ''salzmannii'' (hardy to about −25 °C). 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.

As an invasive species

''Pinus nigra'' has become

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in a few areas of the US. In New Zealand it is considered an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

and

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

, along with lodgepole pine (''P. contorta'') and Scots pine (''P. sylvestris''), due to their habitat conversion nature in

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

grassland plant communities, shading out the native bunch grasses as their forest canopy develops.

Uses

Lumber

The timber of European black pine is similar to that of Scots pine (''P. sylvestris'') and 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. 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 ''Dothistroma septosporum'' or ''Mycosphaerella pini'' is a fungus that causes the disease commonly known as red band needle blight. This fungal disease affects the needles of conifers, but is mainly found on pine. Over 60 species have been repo ...

'', resulting in a major recent decline in forestry planting there. In the United States it is of low importance as a timber species. In regard to Austrian pine, the fungus ''

'' is widespread and rapidly spreading out of control throughout the United States. It is out of control and not recommended for landscaping, especially in groups or rows.

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 The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...

, osteomyelitis, and viral infections; acting as an oral antiseptic; treating cracked hands and feet in the winter; and sealing wooden roofs.

Ornamental use

In the US and Canada, the European black pine is planted as a street tree, and as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

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. In the UK the tree is planted as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens. It is planted with great success as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 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, 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. ''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.

References

External links

EUFORGEN species page: ''Pinus nigra''. Information, distribution and related resources.
{{Authority control

nigra Nigra may refer to: Geography * Castelnuovo Nigra, a comune (municipality) in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont * Porta Nigra, a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany * Rupes Nigra, a phantom island, was believed to be a 33 ...

Trees of Europe Flora of North Africa Flora of Western Asia Least concern plants Trees of Mediterranean climate Trees of mild maritime climate Garden plants of Africa Garden plants of Asia Garden plants of Europe Ornamental trees