Aleppo pine or Scots pine: how to tell them apart?
Aleppo pine and Scots pine look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Aleppo pine
Pinus halepensis
Scots pine
Pinus sylvestris
Scots pine has distinctly orange bark on the upper third of the trunk, very recognisable, and short, twisted blue-green needles, whereas Aleppo pine has greyish to reddish-brown bark over its whole height and longer, fine, flexible, light green needles.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, fine, flexible needles in pairs, light green
Blue-green needles in pairs, twisted, 4 to 7 cm
🌸 Flowers
Yellow male cones grouped at the base of the young shoots
Yellow male cones in clusters, small reddish female cones
🍎 Fruits
Small glossy reddish-brown cones, borne on a recurved stalk, which can remain closed for several years
Brown woody cones, ovoid, hanging, 3 to 7 cm
🪵 Bark
Grey then reddish-brown, cracking into elongated plates
Pinkish-orange and flaking in the upper trunk, grey and fissured at the base
📏 Size
10 to 20 m tall
20 to 35 m tall
🗺️ Habitat
Very common on the hills and garrigue of the French Mediterranean coast
Heaths, open forests, poor and sandy soils
⚠️ Toxicity
—
No known toxicity
🔎 And from the Scots pine side
Aleppo pine has greyish to reddish-brown bark over the whole height of the trunk and long, fine, flexible, light green needles, whereas Scots pine is recognised by the orange bark of the upper trunk and its short, twisted, blue-green needles.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.