''Pinus mugo'', known as bog pine, creeping pine, dwarf mountain pine, mugo pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, or Swiss mountain pine, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ex ...

, native to high elevation

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s from southwestern to

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...

and

Southeast Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (a ...

Description

The tree has dark green leaves ("needles") in pairs, long. The cones are nut-brown, long. Custura Bucurei.jpg, ''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''mugo'', Romania Pinus mugo uncinata trees.jpg, ''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''uncinata'' Swiss National Park 007.JPG, ''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''rotundata'', Swiss National Park Бор кривул 01.JPG, On Jakupica mountain, Republic of North Macedonia

Taxonomy

There are three subspecies: *''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''mugo'' — in the east and south of the range (southern & eastern

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...

), a low, shrubby, often multi-stemmed plant to tall with matte-textured symmetrical cones, which are thin-scaled. *''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''uncinata'' — in the west and north of the range (from the Pyrenees northeast to Poland), a larger, usually single-stemmed tree to tall with glossy-textured asymmetrical cones, the scales of which are much thicker on the upper side.
Some botanists treat the western subspecies as a separate species, ''Pinus uncinata'', others as only a variety, ''P. mugo'' var. ''rostrata''. This subspecies in the Pyrenees marks the alpine

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

or timberline, the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. *''Pinus mugo'' subsp. ''rotundata'' — hybrid subspecies, of the two subspecies above that intergrade extensively in the western Alps and northern Carpathians. An old name for the species, ', is still occasionally seen, and a typographical error "''mugho''" (first made in a prominent 18th-century encyclopedia) is still often repeated.

Distribution

''Pinus mugo'' is native to the subalpine zones of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, Alps, Erzgebirge,

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...

, northern and central

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

, and higher

mountains

Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila– Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2, ...

Pirin , photo=Pirin-mountains-Bansko.jpg , photo_caption=Pirin scenery in winter , country= Bulgaria, , parent= , geology= granite, gneiss, marble, limestone , area_km2=2585 , range_coordinates = , length_km=80 , length_orientation= north-s ...

, Korab, Accursed Mountains, etc. It is usually found from , occasionally as low as in the north of the range in Germany and Poland, and as high as in the south of the range in Bulgaria and the Pyrenees. Also in Kosovo it is found in the Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park. In Scandinavia, Finland and the Baltic region, ''P. mugo'' was introduced in the late 1700s and the 1800s, when it was planted in coastal regions for sand dune stabilization, and later as ornamental plants around residences. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the species has naturalised and become

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

, displacing fragile dune and dune heath habitats. In Estonia and Lithuania ''P. mugo'' only occasionally naturalises outside plantations, sometimes establishing in raised bogs.

Ecology

''Pinus mugo'' is classed as a

wilding conifer Wilding conifers, also known as wilding pines, are invasive trees in the high country of New Zealand. Millions of dollars are spent on controlling their spread. In the South Island they threaten 210,000 hectares of public land administered by th ...

, and spreads as an invasive species in the high country of New Zealand, coastal Denmark, and other areas of

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

Cultivation

''Pinus mugo'' is widely cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, for use as a small tree or shrub, planted in gardens and in larger pots and planters. It is also used in

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

style landscapes, and for larger

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 ...

specimens. In Kosovo, its trunk is used as construction material for the vernacular architecture in the mountains called "Bosonica".

Cultivars

Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

have been selected. The following have been given the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

: *’Humpy’ *'Kissen' *’Mops’ *’Ophir’ Cultivars with seasonal changes in foliage color include ''Pinus mugo'' 'Wintergold' and ''Pinus mugo'' 'Ophir'.

Uses

A recent trend is the increase in use of the mugo pine in cooking. Buds and young cones are harvested from the wild in the spring and left to dry in the sun over the summer and into autumn. The cones and buds gradually drip syrup, which is then boiled down to a concentrate and combined with sugar to make pine syrup. The syrup is usually sold as "pinecone syrup" or "pine cone syrup".

Gallery

Pinus mugo Rila 1.jpg, ''Pinus mugo'' (subsp. ''mugo'') habitat. Rila National Park in Bulgaria. Pinus mugo Blüten.jpg, Female cones and young shoots Zwiesel 2014 - 5 044.JPG, Male

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...

producing strobili File:Junge Zapfen.jpg, Young cones

References

Sources

*Christensen, K.I. (1987)
Taxonomic revision of the ''Pinus mugo'' complex and ''P.'' × ''rhaetica'' (''P. mugo'' × ''sylvestris'') (Pinaceae)
''Nordic J. Bot''. 7: 383-408.

External links

* ttp://www.euforgen.org/species/pinus-mugo/ ''Pinus mugo''an
''Pinus uncinata''
- information, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) {{Authority control mugo Flora of Europe Flora of the Alps Flora of the Carpathians Flora of the Pyrenees Flora of Austria Flora of Bulgaria Flora of the Czech Republic Flora of Germany Flora of Italy Flora of Poland Flora of Slovakia Flora of Spain Flora of Switzerland Trees of Europe Plants described in 1764 Least concern plants Edible plants Garden plants of Europe Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees