It does not achieve its distinctive umbrella shape until maturity. Hardy to USDA Zone 8 — cold hardiness limit between 10° and 20°F (-12.1° and -6.7°C). Nancy Nehring—iStock/Thinkstock Coulter pines, native to the mountains of southern California (U.S.) and Baja California (Mexico), produce the most-massive cones of any pine species. Principal photography was generously donated by Janice LeCocq Photgraphy, Additions to the International Conifer Register. From decorating your homescape to shopping for friends and family, the Italian Stone Pine ticks all the boxes. Richardson (editor); Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus; ©1998, Cambridge University Press. Small specimens are used for Bonsai, and also grown in large pots and planters. Latin Name : P inus pinea COLOR: Medium Green Pruning during the winter months rather than spring and summer helps protect the tree from pitch moths. Additional information Italian Stone Pine Nut Tree is an attractive species which is round and bushy when young and develops into a flat-topped, umbrella shaped tree when mature. Their spreading rounded canopies of light green foliage, supported on a tall and often branchless trunk, form a particularly striking feature of the landscape of Italy. They are typically shelled by roasting over an open fire; they are more rare. Not all pine varieties are edible, however; the ponderosa pine and several others varieties of pine … . Genus name comes from the Latin name … Size Height: 40-80 feet Width: 40-60 feet. The stone pine, botanical name Pinus pinea, also known as the Italian stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine, is a tree from the pine family. These pine trees are native to southern Europe and Turkey, and prefer warm, dry climates. Trees to 40 m tall, with trunk often divided in the wide, dense, dome-shaped or flattened crown. Pine cone image by matko from Fotolia.com. Their horizontal branches can crack and break when they are coated with ice. Growth Rate 24 … Italian Stone Pines have been cultivated for 6,000 years for their edible pine nuts and have been an aesthetic landscape tree since the Italian Renaissance. The species was introduced into North Africa millenni… Although these trees develop lower branches, they are usually shaded out as the crown matures. So far no cones, but hope springs eternal. Read on for more Italian stone pine information. Always plant your pine trees in full sun. Botanical Name: Pinus pinea. 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. Distribution. A tree 12-25(35) m tall, trunk often short and commonly slightly sinuous. This is usually a short-lived tree, rarely surviving for much more than 100 years[185]. Italian Stone Pine Boething Treeland Farms grows over 1,200 varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials and specialty plants on ten California nurseries to serve the wholesale landscape and nursery industries throughout the … 8 (10 to 20 F / -6.7 to -12.2 C), HORTICULTURAL STATUS: RHS Accepted Genus Next, a tropical South American plant (Ananas comosus) that produces the familiar juicy delicacy (resembling superficially the pine tree's cones) was called the Pineapple plant. Sign up for our newsletter. While it may take years for your tree to produce pine cones, you can collect the cones off the ground and place them in a warm, sunny location until they open and expose the nuts. Native to the Mediterranean Region, the Italian Stone Pine is characterized by blue-green needles until it reaches adulthood (15 years of age). Italian stone pine is easily recognizable, as it is one of the only pines to form a high, rounded crown. In the stem line of the terrestrial plants, the first seeds evolved in the gymnosperms. Where Do Pine Nuts Come From: Learn About Growing Pine Nut Trees, Common Pine Tree Varieties: Learn About Different Types Of Pine Tree, Lower Branches Of Pine Tree Dying: Why Is Pine Tree Drying From Bottom Up, Flower Gardening Basics: Tips For Flower Gardening Success, Decorating With Plants – How Plants Can Transform A Space, Winter Orchid Requirements: Growing Orchids During Winter, Rose Hip Information – Learn When And How To Harvest Rose Hips, Dividing Lily Plants: Learn When And How To Transplant Lilies, Pomegranate Houseplants – How To Grow Pomegranates Inside, Are Red Onions Easy To Grow: Tips On Growing Red Onions, Winter Planning Process – Make To-Do Lists Happen, Fake Tree For The Holidays And Why I Love it, What Is The Winter Solstice: First Day Of Winter History, Fresh-Cut Pine Tree Smell: Perfect Christmas Tree Memories. It is said to be "impossible to determine its natural range." Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea) is an ornamental evergreen with a full, high canopy that resembles an umbrella. This tree is famous for its production of large, oily seeds, loved world-wide as pine nuts, or pinea in the Latin language, hence the species name. If you grow Italian stone pine trees, you will notice that as they mature, they develop multiple trunks close to one another. Known colloquially as “widow-makers,” these cones are the most massive of any pine species and can weigh up to 5 kg (11 pounds). Seed cones develop on short stout peduncles, and are symmetrical, broadly ovoid to globose, measuring 3.2 to 4.8 inches (8 - 12 cm) long by 2 to 4.4 inches (5 - 11 cm) broad when closed, resembling a children's comic idea of a hand-grenade. Its glossy, chestnut brown cones contain abundant, richly flavorful nuts. Italian stone pine is easy to find in the nurseries (and at the holidays small live Italian stone pine Christmas trees are … Key Features: Dark blue-green foliage; Evergreen; Excellent coastal tree; Attractive pine cones and edible seed . Italian stone pine tree care does not include mandatory pruning. ITALIAN STONE PINE. Pinus pinea is also currently widely cultivated around the Mediterranean for environmental protection such as consolidation of coastal dunes, soil conservation and protection of coastal agricultural crops. The plants are sold as miniature Christmas trees and are ornamental outside. Pine nuts produced in Europe mostly come from the stone pine (Pinus pinea), which has been cultivated for its nuts for over 5,000 years. Italian stone pine is the best of the four—Japanese black also has some trace mineral deficiency problems long term and the Eldarica pine is a desert tree that suffers under heavy irrigation and rainy periods. If you do decide to prune or trim the tree, this should be accomplished in the winter season, basically October through January. The species is an archaeophyte (unrecorded introductions by early man) throughout the Mediterranean, and more recently has been naturalized in South Africa — Cape province and in other regions with Mediterranean climates, such as California. Winter buds white, slightly resinous, 1.5-2 cm long, ovoid, pointed. italian stone pine Pinus pinea Photo Locations: Getty Villa - Malibu, CA, UC Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA, The National Arboretum - Washington, DC, San Luis Obispo, CA, Baywood, CA, The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA and Santa Barbara, CA This database was developed and is maintained by dedicated volunteers. From the Mediterranean, this is an excellent pine for beach gardens and coastal planting, as well as for use as a street tree. These greenish-brown affairs were produced by the Italian Stone Pine (Pinus Pinea), also called the Pine of Rome. Sugar pines, P. lambertiana, have gigantic cones loaded with good nuts, but good luck getting to them before squirrels do. Other products of economic value include resin, bark for tannin extraction, and empty pine cone shells for fuel. You can find blue spruce, canaan fir, danish noble, douglas fir, fraser fir, grand fir, korean fir, noble fir, nordmann fir, norway spruce, sequoia fir, shasta red fir, turkish fir, white fir, white pine Christmas tree types … For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website. Italian Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) Also known as umbrella pine and parasol pine, this tree is best in zones 7 to 11. Gardeners around the world are growing Italian stone pine trees. Description. 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