Austrian pine Pinaceae Pinus nigra Arnold symbol: PINI Leaf: Evergreen needles, 4 to 6 inches long, flexible with two thick, dark green needles per fascicle. Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical, yellow, in large clusters along twigs; females oval, yellow to purple. Fruit: Cones are ovoid, 2 to 3 inches long, yellow-brown; umbo is armed with a very short, minute prickle, maturing in the fall. Twig: Quite stout, brown to gray in color with a large white, ovoid terminal bud. Bark: Brown to gray, developing gray-brown ridges and dark brown furrows. Form: A medium sized tree reaching up to 100 feet tall with a very dense crown (needles retained up to 4 years) that eventually develops a flat top. Looks like: Afghan pine - red pine - Japanese black pine - Japanese red pine Additional Range Information: Pinus nigra is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. See states reporting Austrian pine. External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America USDAFS Additional Silvics USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2014, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson