Family |
Pinaceae
Pinus pinea
L.
Pinus pinea L.
First published in Sp. Pl.: 1000 (1753).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 16, Pl. VI, 3; 1966)
• Life-form & habit: Tree rarely exceeding 25 m in Mouterde's treatment, with spreading branches forming an umbrella-shaped crown. Bark is grey-brown outside and reddish within; young branches are stout and yellow-green.
• Leaves: Deep-green needles in pairs, rarely threes, 8–20 cm long.
• Seed cones: Nearly rounded cones on short stalks, 8–15 cm long and 7–10 cm wide, glossy reddish-brown, with raised scale shields and blunt central bosses.
• Seeds: Wingless, with a hard shell and edible kernel.
• Phenology: Pollen and seed cones appear in spring.
• Habitat & elevation: Preferentially non-calcareous soils; widely planted.
• Lebanese distribution: Sands south of Beirut, Maghdouche, above Saida, Abey, Beit Meri, Broummana, Bikfaya, Dhour Choueir, Bois de Boulogne, Mrouj, Kfertay and Baskinta.
• Native range: Albania, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Portugal, Sicilia, Spain, Türkiye.
• Introduced into: Algeria, Canary Is., Libya, Morocco, New South Wales, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Tunisia, Türkiye-in-Europe.
⚠️ Taxonomic note: Cultivation since antiquity has obscured the original range, as Mouterde notes. The native and introduced regions above follow Kew's current treatment.