The Stone Pine is native to the Mediterranean region and has a wide distribution through Southern Europe and North Africa stretching from Spain and Portugal eastwards across France and Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, along the eastern coast of the Ionian and Adriatic Seas in Croatia and Albania, across western Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, and northern Israel, Morocco and Algeria. The tree has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region for so long that it has naturalized, and is often considered native beyond its natural range. It is also planted in western Europe up to southern Scotland, and on the East Coast of the United States as far north as New Jersey.
In Italy, the Stone Pine has been an aesthetic landscape element since the Italian Renaissance garden period. In the 1700's the Stone Pine began being introduced as an ornamental tree and is now often found in gardens and parks in South Africa, California, and Australia. It has naturalized beyond cities in South Africa to the extent that it is listed as an invasive species there.
It is a large tree that can exceed 25m (82 ft) in height, but 12–20m (39–66 ft) is more typical. In its youth it is a bushy globe developing in mid-age an umbrella shaped canopy on a thick trunk. Eventually in maturity it becomes a broad and flat crown over 8m (26 ft) in width.
The bark is thick, red-brown and deeply fissured into broad vertical plates. Pairs of flexible mid-green needles are 10–20cm (4-8 inches) long (exceptionally up to 30cm (12 in) The large cones are broad and between 8–15cm (3–6 in) long, and take 36 months to mature, longer than any other pine species.
It is not known to be a very long-lived tree, rarely exceeding 150 years and thrives in coastal sandy areas with moist but well-drained soils and little temperature variation. Officially hardy to around -12°C the fact that specimen trees grow in southern Scotland suggest that the cold tolerance may be a little more than that figure.
This was one of the first trees to be used and cultivated by man, its edible seeds have been harvested for perhaps half a million years or more, and the tree planted for them for well over 6,000 years (possibly double this or more); it was introduced from Spain to as far east as Israel and Georgia on the Black Sea coast long before historical records were kept.
The total area covered by stone pine forest is around 380 000 hectares (75% in Spain, 9% in Portugal, 9% in Turkey, 5% in Italy, and lower percentages in Greece, Lebanon and France. Spain has the most organized pine nut production among Mediterranean countries with an average annual production of about 6250 tons/year which represents between 40 to 60% of world production of all pine nuts.
The production varies in cycles of 2-6 years. The number of cones produced per tree is proportionate diameter of the crown, the average yield is about 15-22 kg of pine nuts per 100 kg of cones. Collection takes place by men who climb on trees and gather the cones by hand or with a special tool. Each worker can collect about 400 to 600 cones per day. The collection period is from November to February. Extraction of the nut takes place by drying the cones in the sun. Empty cones can also be used as firewood.
Small specimens are used for Bonsai
In Italy, the Stone Pine has been an aesthetic landscape element since the Italian Renaissance garden period. In the 1700's the Stone Pine began being introduced as an ornamental tree and is now often found in gardens and parks in South Africa, California, and Australia. It has naturalized beyond cities in South Africa to the extent that it is listed as an invasive species there.
It is a large tree that can exceed 25m (82 ft) in height, but 12–20m (39–66 ft) is more typical. In its youth it is a bushy globe developing in mid-age an umbrella shaped canopy on a thick trunk. Eventually in maturity it becomes a broad and flat crown over 8m (26 ft) in width.
The bark is thick, red-brown and deeply fissured into broad vertical plates. Pairs of flexible mid-green needles are 10–20cm (4-8 inches) long (exceptionally up to 30cm (12 in) The large cones are broad and between 8–15cm (3–6 in) long, and take 36 months to mature, longer than any other pine species.
It is not known to be a very long-lived tree, rarely exceeding 150 years and thrives in coastal sandy areas with moist but well-drained soils and little temperature variation. Officially hardy to around -12°C the fact that specimen trees grow in southern Scotland suggest that the cold tolerance may be a little more than that figure.
This was one of the first trees to be used and cultivated by man, its edible seeds have been harvested for perhaps half a million years or more, and the tree planted for them for well over 6,000 years (possibly double this or more); it was introduced from Spain to as far east as Israel and Georgia on the Black Sea coast long before historical records were kept.
The total area covered by stone pine forest is around 380 000 hectares (75% in Spain, 9% in Portugal, 9% in Turkey, 5% in Italy, and lower percentages in Greece, Lebanon and France. Spain has the most organized pine nut production among Mediterranean countries with an average annual production of about 6250 tons/year which represents between 40 to 60% of world production of all pine nuts.
The production varies in cycles of 2-6 years. The number of cones produced per tree is proportionate diameter of the crown, the average yield is about 15-22 kg of pine nuts per 100 kg of cones. Collection takes place by men who climb on trees and gather the cones by hand or with a special tool. Each worker can collect about 400 to 600 cones per day. The collection period is from November to February. Extraction of the nut takes place by drying the cones in the sun. Empty cones can also be used as firewood.
Small specimens are used for Bonsai
Germination, Sowing and After Care Information for
Stone Pine (pinus pinea)
The seeds of the Stone Pine have a very short natural dormancy and can be sown without any form of pre-treatment.
The seeds are large and produce a strong taproot and therefore need to be sown into containers at least 10 cm deep. Cover the seeds with 8-10 mm of compost and water well. Seedlings will begin to emerge after 10-14 days.
Once the seedlings appear above the compost give them plenty of light, but not full sun.
Seedlings of the Stone Pine are large and fleshy and prone to fungal diseases (damping off) just after germination. You can use fungicide to prevent this. Keeping the compost surface only slightly damp and low frequency watering combined with good air circulation and low humidity will also help greatly. Mice are also very keen on the pretreated seeds and the newly germinated seedlings so please take this into consideration!
Once established, the young seedlings should not be over-watered. Once the nut shell has fallen off the seedlings can be transplanted into deeper containers. Care must be taken during any transplanting operation to avoid breaking the tap root as this will set back tree growth.
After the seedling has reached a height of about 10 cm it becomes less sensitive to over-watering. The rate of growth will accelerate in the second and subsequent years. Although these trees are tolerant of cold temperatures, whilst they are growing in containers protect the roots from severe winter frost.
Once they have developed to a large enough size, perhaps after 2 or 3 years plant them in their permanent position and maintain weed free conditions until they are established.
The seeds are large and produce a strong taproot and therefore need to be sown into containers at least 10 cm deep. Cover the seeds with 8-10 mm of compost and water well. Seedlings will begin to emerge after 10-14 days.
Once the seedlings appear above the compost give them plenty of light, but not full sun.
Seedlings of the Stone Pine are large and fleshy and prone to fungal diseases (damping off) just after germination. You can use fungicide to prevent this. Keeping the compost surface only slightly damp and low frequency watering combined with good air circulation and low humidity will also help greatly. Mice are also very keen on the pretreated seeds and the newly germinated seedlings so please take this into consideration!
Once established, the young seedlings should not be over-watered. Once the nut shell has fallen off the seedlings can be transplanted into deeper containers. Care must be taken during any transplanting operation to avoid breaking the tap root as this will set back tree growth.
After the seedling has reached a height of about 10 cm it becomes less sensitive to over-watering. The rate of growth will accelerate in the second and subsequent years. Although these trees are tolerant of cold temperatures, whilst they are growing in containers protect the roots from severe winter frost.
Once they have developed to a large enough size, perhaps after 2 or 3 years plant them in their permanent position and maintain weed free conditions until they are established.
