Leaf
Hans-Peter Balfanz, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Stone pine
Pinus pinea L.
Also known as: Umbrella pine, Italian stone pine
Family: Pinaceae
15 to 25 m tall
Emblematic of the Mediterranean coast, planted as a specimen or along roadsides
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Hardy to about -15°C, prefers mild climates
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its well-known umbrella-shaped silhouette only forms with age: when young, the stone pine has a rather ordinary pyramidal habit.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, long needles in pairs, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Yellowish male cones grouped in spikes at the base of the young shoots
🍎 Fruits
Large, glossy brown ovoid cones, taking about three years to ripen, containing the edible pine nuts
🪵 Bark
Orange-brown, cracking into broad plates with age
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the Mediterranean region, cultivated for its pine nuts since Antiquity
🐝 Value for pollinators
Wind-pollinated, of no interest to pollinating insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted for its characteristic umbrella-shaped silhouette, emblematic of Mediterranean landscapes; its seeds, the pine nuts, are harvested
🌿 Other Pinaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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