Pinus sylvestris

Scots Pine

A pine widespread through Europe that matures into an attractive, distinctive tree.

Features: Distinctive orange-hued trunk of scaly bark when mature. Long lived. Light shade makes it suitable with co-plantings. Deep roots.
Applications: Feature tree. Landscapes, streetscapes. Good with companion plantings - light shade when mature.
Description While juvenile Scots Pine might not be particularly distinctive with their typically symmetrical, pine-like appearance, they do mature into delightful trees. Older Scots Pines lose their under-storey branches, leaving a limbless and textured orange-hued trunk for much of the tree and above, an asymmetrically lumpy canopy of intricately interwoven branches. From a landscaping perspective, this and the fact that it is broadly tolerant of neighbour plants are helpful traits, as other plantings can make good use of the space and light that this growth habit allows. A survivor from the ice-age, the Scots Pine naturally occurs in a wide variety of European climates and sites so can tolerate a variety of poor soils and both heat and extreme cold. The pine is also a favourite for larger-scale topiary.
Availability: Currently unavailable
Mature height: 15-25
Mature spread: 5-8
Canopy: Initally roundly conical, maturing to an eliptical canopy on a branchless trunk. Initally heavy shade but lighter with age.
Growth rate: Moderate
Cautions: Avoid clay and boggy sites. Avoid heavy air pollution.
Tolerances: Widely tolerant of soil types. Heat, cold and urban environments. Copes with most neighbour plantings. Drought tolerant. Deep roots are widely tolerant.
Sun demands: Likes full sun but copes with part shade
Soil demands: All soil types except clay - acid to mildly alkaline. Tolerates occasional flooding but not boggy or poorly drained sites.
Water demands: Low to moderate
Native or Exotic: Exotic
Leaf habit: Evergreen
Family: Pinaceae
   
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Additional references and recommended reading:

Boland, D. J. et al (2006) "Forest Trees of Australia" 5th Edition, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.

Gilman, Edward F. (1997) "Trees for Urban and Suburban Landscapes", Florida: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Lorenz von Ehren "Von Ehren Manual" 2nd Edition, Hamburg.

Rushforth, K. (2001) "Easy Tree Guide, Britain and Europe", London: Aurum Press.

Urban Forests Ecosystems Institute, "SelecTree - A Tree Selection Guide" retrieved from http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treelist.lasso 2009.

Disclaimer:
Torbay Treefarmers makes all information on this website available in good faith to customers, based on experience, general knowledge and research and in so doing, makes no guarantee in any way about the accuracy or usefulness of this information, nor is any warranty made or inferred by the supply of this information, nor can Torbay Treefarmers be held responsible or accountable for any loss, harm or damage that may arise from the use or availability of any information on this website.


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