tree of the month Belfast Botanic Gardens

Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. The series will gradually build up to a comprehensive archive of information about the trees in Belfast Botanic gardens. Each article will illustrate the tree in Belfast together with information from a range of sources elsewhere.

Click here for the rest of the trees

Tree of the Month, March 2008

Austrian pine - Pinus nigra ssp nigra

by Jonathan Pilcher

This is the first of the pine species we have included in Tree of the Month. There are about 70 species of pines world-wide, mostly from the northern hemisphere. They can be quite difficult to distinguish, but a basic division into 2-needled, 3-needled and 5-needled pines is a good starting point. Beyond that you need to look carefully at the cones and the winter buds. Our example this month is a 2-needled pine with needles about 4 inches (10cm) long. It has a whitish tinge to the winter buds which narrow to a sharp point. The cone scales have a tiny prickle on the ends - easier to feel than to see. The bark of the mature tree is always blackish (hence the name) and this distinguishes the species from the Scots pine (P. sylvestris) which has a distinct reddish colour to the upper trunk and branches when mature. Native of Corsica to Austria and W. Asia. Not native to the British Isles, but thrives in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately the timber is not of great value

There are several Austrian pines in the Botanic Gardens. The most dramatic (photo below) is near the gate to the PEC car park. There are also several others including close to the Ulster Museum extension.


A fine specimen of Austrian pine near the PEC entrance	Acuminate bud characteristic of Austrian pine

Small spine on cone of Austrian pine	Long leaf sheath of Austrian pine

Needles of Austrian pine are in pairs, (longer than in Scots pine)	Rows of stomata on the curved surface of Austrian pine needle