Characteristics:
Common name: Parasol Pine, Pine Pinion, Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine
Family: Pinaceae
Origin: Mediterranean regions
Mature height: 15 to 20 meters
Hardiness: -12 ° C
Exposure: sunny, partial shade
Plant type: tree
Vegetation: perennial
Foliage: persistent
Flowering: spring
Flower color: –
Type of soil: all soils except limestone
Watering: dry
Use: isolated, massive, container
Diseases and pests: Pine weevils, bark beetles, Pine beetles, Bombyx, Pine processionaries, Rusts
Toxicity: –
Seed conservation: 3 years in a dry place protected from light at 3/4 ° C (refrigerator)
Description:
An emblematic tree of the south of France, it offers a compact and conical shape when young, flattening with age.
The trunk is often divided at the base. The tree grows by adapting to the terrain and seeking the sun, which frequently results in fairly low vertical trunks. The bark is severely cracked, dark gray-brown on the outside, and light red on the inside.
The foliage is evergreen like all conifers and renews itself every 2 to 3 years. The low-sharp needles measure 8 to 10 centimeters and are grouped in pairs, sometimes in threes.
The umbrella pine is a monoecious tree (male and female flowers different but growing on the same plant) The male flowers, orange-brown, ovoid in shape, are grouped at the base of young shoots and produce a large amount of pollen. The female flowers, yellowish green, resemble small solitary cones.
The fruit, called pine cone in Gascon, is a cone which at maturity is globular and practically as wide as it is long (+ -10cm), these scales are rounded at their top. They separate when ripe to let the seeds (pine nuts) escape.
Parasol Pine supports all soils but does not support limestone. Young subjects are sensitive to frost.
