Black pine
size:
height in general: 50 meters
in dune woods: 25 meters
needles: 8-20 cm long
cones: 5-10 cm
age:
record: 600 years old
color:
gray to yellow-brown scaly bark; blue-green needles, in winter darker green to yellow-green
reproduction:
cones ripen between September-November; seeds disperse with the wind from December to April
remarks:
tree only reaches maturity between 15-40 years; cones take around 18 months to develop after pollination
- Dut: Zwarte den (Corsicaanse den, Oostenrijkse den)
- Lat: Pinus nigra (maritima, nigra)
- Eng: Black Pine
- Fren: Pin de Corse, Pin noir d'Autriche
- Ger: Kalabrische Schwarzkiefer, Schwarzföhre
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- Black pine, young cones, foto fitis, sytske dijksen
Black pine
Not only is black pine more resistant to sea wind than the Scots pine. The Corsican black pine can reach the ripe age of 600 years! Understandably, most of the conifers planted in the dunes are black pine species. Nevertheless, they don't grow well if they receive the full blast of sea wind and therefore are often sheltered by a stretch of deciduous trees. Thanks to these pines, there are many new species of birds, plants and mushrooms living and growing in the dunes and on the Wadden Islands. Besides the Corsican pines, Austrian pines are also a common species found planted in Dutch forests.
On Texel
- , Sytske Dijksen, www.fotofitis.nl
Almost all of the pine trees on Texel are black pine. When the young saplings were planted in the early 20th century, the Texelaars didn't have any confidence that they would ever grow into trees: "Put two in the hole, they're not going to make it anyway!". In some places, a piece of saturated peat was added to each pine for the water and an herring for fertilization. It worked well! The Turfveld ('peat field'), a place in the woods known for its snackbar, has been named after this event.
- Habitat
- Black pine in dunes, foto fitis, sytske dijksen
Black pines are not indigenous to the Netherlands but they grow well here. The tree is intolerant of shade and needs full sun to prosper. It is resistant to snow and ice damage. Although it puts few demands on the soil, it has a preference to calcium-rich ground. It can grow on practically humusless drift sand. You can tell the planted trees from those that have seeded themselves from their shape: the tall straight trees were planted while the shorter, rugged-shaped trees grew spontaneously.
See also
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