Austrian Pine

[Audio] The Austrian Pine Pinus Nigra. Austrian Pine.

[Audio] The Austrian Pine, otherwise known as the Black Pine, is a large coniferous evergreen tree, growing to 20 to 55 meters ( 66 to 180 feet) high at maturity and spreading to 6 to 12 meters (20 to 39 feet) wide. The bark is gray to yellow-brown, and is widely split by flaking fissures into scaly plates, becoming increasingly fissured with age. It has two subspecies, (subspecies Salzmannii and subspecies Laricio) but they differ very minimally from the original species. The tree's range spreads across much of Anatolia and southern Europe. The majority of the range is in Turkey. It is found in the higher elevations of the South Apennine mixed montane forests ecoregion in southern Italy and the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion in Sicily. There are remnant populations in the Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests ecoregion, and in the higher Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Algeria. The tree closely resembles Red pine ( Pinus resinosa) and Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris) and shares many traits with them..

[Audio] In the US and Canada, the European black pine is planted as a street tree, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks. Its value as a street tree is largely due to its resistance to salt spray (from road de-icing salt), fast growth, and various industrial pollutants (including ozone), and its intermediate drought tolerance. Pinus nigra is planted for windbreaks and shelterbelts in the United States, and is recommended for windbreaks in the Northern Great Plains on medium to deep moist or upland soils. It is also highly invasive in new Zealand and is considered a wilding conifer, along with Scots Pine, Lodgepole pine, and other conifers, which are displacing the important native tussock grasslands..

[Audio] How to grow the Austrian Pine Collect mature cones in fall, and remove individual seeds from the cones, and soak them in water for 24 hours. The seeds have no dormancy. Sow the soaked seeds in desired planting location. It is best that they are protected from predation and harsh conditions. The seedlings grow slowly initially, but growth rate picks up as they get older..

[Audio] Where to grow Austrian Pine Austrian Pine grows best in USDA zones 5- 8, and Sunset garden zones 1 to 9, and 14 to 21. The trees like full sun, and can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, but dislikes compacted soil. The Tree prefers cooler Mediterranean climates..