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''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region.


Description

''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a
trunk Trunk may refer to: Biology * Trunk (anatomy), synonym for torso * Trunk (botany), a tree's central superstructure * Trunk of corpus callosum, in neuroanatomy * Elephant trunk, the proboscis of an elephant Computing * Trunk (software), in rev ...
diameter up to , exceptionally up to . The
bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, e ...
is orange-red, thick, and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, and thin and flaky in the upper crown. The
leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
('needles') are very slender, long, distinctly yellowish green, and produced in pairs (rarely a few in threes). The
cones A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
are narrow conic, long and broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next few years, a process quickened if they are exposed to heat such as in forest fires. The cones open wide to allow the seeds to disperse. The seeds are long, with a wing, and are wind- dispersed.Nahal, I. (1962). Le Pin d'Alep (''Pinus halepensis'' Miller). Étude taxonomique, phytogéographique, écologique et sylvicole. ''Annales de l'École National des Eaux et Forêts'' (Nancy) 19: 1–207. File:Halep.jpg, Cones File:Pinus halepensis foliage.jpg, Foliage File:Pinus halepensis Trunk 11a.jpg, Bark and trunk File:Pinus halepensis1.jpg, Plate from Lambert's ''Description of the Genus Pinus'' File:Cone of pinus halepensis in hebron.jpg, Cone of pinus halepensis in Hebron File:Mljet 5.4.2016.JPG, ''Pinus halepensis'' forest File:Dead Aleppo Pine and the Étang de Thau.jpg, A dead Aleppo pine in front of the
Étang de Thau The Étang de Thau (; oc, Estanh de Taur) or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of lagoons (''étangs'') that stretch along the French coast from the Rhône river to the foothills of the Pyrenees and the border to Spain in the Languedo ...
File:Aleppo Pines grove, Pinet, Hérault 02.jpg, A grove of Aleppo pines in Pinet


Related species

The Aleppo pine is closely related to the
Turkish pine ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey. Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturalis ...
,
Canary Island pine ''Pinus canariensis'', the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Description ''Pinus canariensis'' is a ...
, and maritime pine, which all share many of its characteristics. Some authors include the Turkish pine as a subspecies of the Aleppo pine, as ''Pinus halepensis'' subsp. ''brutia'' (Ten.) Holmboe,Christensen, K. I. (1997). ''Gymnospermae''. Pp. 1–17 in Strid, A., & Tan, K., eds., ''Flora Hellenica'' 1. Königstein. but it is usually regarded as a distinct species.Richardson, D. M., ed. (1998). ''Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus''. Cambridge University Press . It is a relatively nonvariable species, in that its morphological characteristics stay constant over the entire range.


Distribution and habitat

The native range of ''Pinus halepensis'' extends from Morocco,
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, Tunisia, and Spain north to southern France,
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares la ...
, and east to Greece. It has been introduced into many parts of the world, including Portugal. There is an outlying population (from which it was first described) in Syria, Lebanon, southern Turkey, Jordan, Israel and
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...
. The species is generally found at low altitudes, mostly from sea level to , but can grow above in southern and eastern Spain, well over on
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...
, and up to in the south, in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.Farjon, A. (2005). ''Pines. Drawings and Descriptions of the genus Pinus''. Brill, Leiden. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins . The tree is able to quickly colonize open and disturbed areas. It is classed as an invasive species in South Africa. It can grow on all substrates and almost in all bioclimates in the Mediterranean. ''Pinus halepensis'' is a diagnostic species of the vegetation class ''Pinetea halepensis''.


Uses

The resin of the Aleppo pine is used to flavor the Greek wine
retsina Retsina ( el, Ρετσίνα) is a Greek white (or rosé) resinated wine, which has been made for at least 2,000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo p ...
. From the pine nuts of the Aleppo pine is made a pudding called '' asidet zgougou'' in the Tunisian dialect; it is served in bowls, covered with cream, and topped with almonds and small candies. The Maltese dessert '' prinjolata'' is also prepared using these pine nuts, both in its filling as well as a topping. Aleppo pine are used for
bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...
.


Forestry

In its native area, ''P. halepensis'' is widely planted for its fine timber, making it one of the most important forestry trees in Algeria and Morocco. In Israel, natural patches of Aleppo pine forests can be found in the Carmel and Galilee regions.Newman Information Center for Desert Research and Development, Aleppo pine
/ref> The Aleppo pine, along with ''
Pinus brutia ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey. Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturali ...
'', has been planted extensively by the
Jewish National Fund Jewish National Fund ( he, קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael'', previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine, and subsequ ...
. It proved very successful in
Yatir Forest Yatir Forest ( he, יער יתיר) is a forest in Israel on the edge of the Negev Desert. The forest covers an area of 30,000 dunams (), and is the largest planted forest in Israel. History The first trees were planted in 1964 by the Jewish Na ...
in the northern Negev (on the edge of the desert), where foresters had not expected it to survive. Many Aleppo pine forests exist today in Israel and are used for recreational purposes. Although it is a local species, some argue that the historical replacement of natural oak maquis shrubland and
garrigue Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils in southern Fran ...
with tall stands of pine has created "ecological deserts" and has significantly changed the species assemblage of these regions. The species produces timber which is valued for its hardness, density and unproblematic seasoning. Seasoned timber is inclined to tear out with planing, but this can be avoided by using sharp blades or adjusting the sharpening angle of tools.Reducing Tear Out when Wood Planing
/ref> The Aleppo pine is considered an invasive species though useful in South Africa; in
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, a control program is in place on
Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
.


Landscape

''Pinus halepensis'' is a popular ornamental tree, extensively planted in gardens, parks, and private and agency landscapes in hot dry areas such as Southern California and the
Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its e ...
in South Africa, where the Aleppo pine's considerable heat and
drought tolerance Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...
, fast growth, and aesthetic qualities are highly valued. It is also used as a bonsai subject where it's mix of juvenile and mature foliage makes it stand out from other pine species.


In culture

Paul Cézanne had an Aleppo pine in his garden at
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
; this tree was the inspiration and model for his painting ''The Big Trees''. As of 2005, the tree is still growing in Cézanne's garden.Cézanne, P. "Visions". In ''Architectural Digest'', December 2005: 117.


References


External links


Gymnosperm Database: ''Pinus halepensis''

''Pinus halepensis''
��distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources.
European Forest Genetic Resources Programme European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) is an international network that supports the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources in Europe. The programme’s tasks include to coordinate and promote ''in situ'' an ...
(EUFORGEN) {{Authority control Drought-tolerant trees Flora of Lebanon and Syria Flora of Palestine (region) Garden plants of Africa Garden plants of Asia Least concern plants Ornamental trees Plants described in 1768 halepensis Trees of Europe Trees of Mediterranean climate Trees of Morocco Taxa named by Philip Miller Flora of Malta Flora of the Mediterranean Basin