Pinus halepensis

Preferred Conditions: Soil Moisture should be good, in a well drained soil.
Tolerances: High tolerance to prolong drought and poor soil conditions, including compacted soil low in nutrients. This tree has been declared a weed in the Eyre Peninsula S.A.

Useful Life Expectancy (ULE): Medium 150years+
Significance: This type of pine is related to the ‘Lone Pine’; which is a subspecies of this species.

Flowering Characteristics: Cones are 5-12cm long and hold on a tree for many years. They open after 20-24 months, they mostly point their tip back to the trunk of the tree along a branch. The cones open very wide enabling its winged seed to be cast long distances.

Features: Its bark is thick, orange in colour, that darkens to grey as it ages, with large long plates. The form of the tree can vary, depending on its exposure to wind and the soil type it grows. The better the soil the taller and more robust its form.

Points of Interest: The resin from this tree is used to flavour Greek wine ‘retsina’. The seeds are used in middle-eastern and north African specialty dishes. Its wood is hard and durable and is used in furniture and building in countries of origin.

Historical Interest/ Context: Its strong association with the ‘Lone pine’ (Pinus brutia), gives it extra interest to the general public, but it is actually a different species called ‘halepensis’.

Its origins across the Mediterranean region provide a strong cultural connection.

This tree has two stems originating from close to growing level, this acute attachment is an underlying fault in its structure.

This tree will require ongoing attention to limit the forces that act on this point of attachment; including pruning to reduce the end weight of major scaffold stems.