Pinus pinea - Umbrella pine

The Pinus pinea, better known as the Parasol Pine or Stone Pine, is a large conifer with a typically southern temperament. When young, this large conifer forms a very green ball, then it becomes immense, loses its lower branches, and with age takes on a venerable appearance. Its silhouette, recognizable to all, draws a large parasol in the sky, with its trunk often bent by the wind, carrying a dense, tabular and rounded crown. This giant is also appreciated for its delicious seeds called pine nuts, which have a subtly resinous flavour. It is not demanding in terms of soil type, like most purely Mediterranean species, but young specimens will not tolerate heavy frost, which makes it difficult to establish in cold regions. The Stone Pine, on the other hand, is perfectly resistant to sea spray and drought once established.

The Stone Pine is a large conifer belonging to the Pine family. It is native to the Mediterranean basin, but has been introduced to many regions for a long time.

The Pinus pinea reaches an average height of 20m (65.6ft), and its crown spreads over 10m (32.8ft). Young trees, heavily branched from the base, have a distinctly spherical habit. Their growth is quite rapid, after an establishing phase that can take 2 years. At the age of 4, they are already nearly 2m (6.6ft) tall. As the years go by, around the age of 10, the Stone Pine takes on its definitive parasol shape. It develops a slender, vertical trunk, leaning or sometimes twisted due to the prevailing wind, topped by a tabular, rounded canopy. The bark, very thick, is reddish-brown in colour, channelled and deeply fissured. The evergreen leaves are soft, not very prickly needles, light and vibrant green, 8 to 18cm (7.1in) long, arranged in pairs. Flowering occurs in spring. Male and female cones coexist on the same tree. After pollination, the female cones develop into large pineapples, generally globular, about 10cm (3.9 in) in all dimensions. It takes 3 years for the mature pinecone to open its large brown scales and release the pine nuts covered in black dust. The very hard, light brown shell protects the edible and highly aromatic nut. These large seeds will easily germinate after winter and exposure to cold.

The Stone Pine is a majestic conifer, to be showcased in a large garden, as it takes up little space on the ground, but its canopy needs space and light to develop well. Southern gardeners often plant it in clusters, so that it provides shade near the terrace or, on the contrary, at the edge of their property. It does not appreciate competition from other trees, its needle-covered canopy is not very welcoming to other plants. Shrubs such as strawberry trees, Filarias, myrtles, mastic trees, the Rhamnus alaternus, and certain cistuses (Cistus creticus, laurifolius, salviifolius) are able to grow at its roots. Pine nut harvesting takes place in summer or early autumn, depending on the climate.