Pinus mugo Humpy - Dwarf Mountain Pine

<strong>The genus <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/shrubs/conifers/conifers-by-variety/pinus-pine.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Pinus</em></a> (family Pinaceae) is one of the most important among conifers,</strong> with more than 120 species, since it includes major forest trees such as maritime pine (<em>Pinus pinaster</em>), Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em>), black pine (<em>Pinus nigra</em>). It is among Californian pines that the world’s most venerable trees are found, with <em>Pinus longaeva</em> of the Great Basin aged 5,000 years. <strong>Ordinarily, pines are reserved for very large gardens</strong>, as they tend to thin out at the base as they age and to occupy a wide area when planted as specimens. Moreover, recent severe storms in France that uprooted a number of pines planted close to houses have prompted owners to fell them and to be cautious about planting this species, however majestic it becomes with age, notably umbrella pine. <strong>Today many cultivars of modest-sized pines have been developed and can safely adorn a small garden, a rockery or even a large pot.</strong> Their outline, which can be easily shaped in the manner of bonsai, and their tolerance of repeated pruning of small shoots, allow owning a pine whatever region and urban or rural setting. <strong>These forms are both compact and elegant</strong> thanks to fineness of needles. Pines have a very ancient origin on Earth as they predate flowering plants and date from the Cretaceous (130 Ma). More than 120 species still survive, which demonstrates their strong adaptability to a wide range of ecological conditions. Pine wood is generally fairly soft due to rapid growth of the tree, sometimes very resinous, and is used for timber and paper pulp production. France’s largest forest is the Landes forest, composed of maritime pine (<em>Pinus pinea</em>), due to drainage of the marshes which produced a poor sandy, very acidic and infertile soil that nonetheless suited this species.