Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Italian stone pine Pinaceae Pinus pinea L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PIPI7
Leaf: Evergreen needles, to 5 inches long in fascicles of 2, thin, straight, blue-green, persistent fascicle sheath.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical, in tight cluster at branch tips; females small, reddish purple with loose scales at branch tips.
Fruit: Woody cone, 3 to 5 inches long, brown, broadly rounded, thick rounded cone scales unarmed; bearing large edible pine nuts.
Twig: Moderately stout, ash-gray to gray-brown; buds ovoid with red-brown scales.
Bark: Light gray and smooth when young, turning reddish brown and furrowed, eventually developing plates with black edges.
Form: Usually a medium sized tree up to 70 feet tall but can attain 120 feet, with an umbrella-shaped crown.
 Looks like: Aleppo pine

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Additional Range Information: Pinus pinea is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information