The black pine is a pioneer species, light-loving and frugal, and it resists drought in the soil. Another interesting feature is its ability to improve the fertility of degraded soils, thanks to its litter.
These properties have made it one of the species most used for reforesting degraded areas.
Among the other pines of the Apennines see also the profile of the Bosnian pine (pino loricato).
For a comparison read the profile of the Scots pine.
Fact sheet
- Range and distribution
- When we speak of black pine, we are referring to a group of species that have differentiated across a very vast and fragmented range. The black pines are therefore divided into: - Pinus clusiana: found in the western sector (France, Spain and North Africa) in twisted supra-Mediterranean stands; - Pinus palladiana: found in the eastern sector (Romania, Crimea, Turkey and Cyprus). And in Italy, the central sector of the range, we find - Pinus laricio in Calabria and Sicily (ssp. calabrica) and in Corsica (ssp. corsicana); - Pinus nigricans, which is found with its subspecies in Abruzzo (ssp. italica), Friuli, Veneto, Austria and Slovenia (ssp. austriaca), and on the Dalmatian coast and in Greece with other subspecies.
- Ecology
The three Italian subspecies also differ in terms of altitude: - The ssp. calabrica is found in three distinct areas: Sila, Aspromonte and northern Etna. In Calabria it is found between 900 and 1600 m a.s.l. The stands grow on soils derived from granites or deep schists and reach remarkable size (up to 30 m in height) and longevity. Rainfall in the area is between 1400 and 1800 mm a year. - The ssp. italica is also known as the Villetta Barrea pine. It takes this name because the most representative stands are found in Abruzzo, in the upper Val di Sangro, near the village of Villetta Barrea. It is also found in Campania, Basilicata and Calabria. Altitude ranges between 1000 and 1350 m a.s.l. The stands grow on soils derived from dolomites and rarely exceed 15 m. Rainfall is 1400 mm a year. - The ssp. austriaca is found in Veneto and Friuli. Apart from the coastal station of Legnano, the stands are found between 200 and 1500 m a.s.l. The soils are limestone and dolomitic and the stands rarely exceed 20 m in height. Rainfall is 1700-3000 mm a year. The black pine is a pioneer species, light-loving and frugal, and it resists drought in the soil. Another interesting feature is its ability to improve the fertility of degraded soils, thanks to its litter. These properties have made it one of the species most used for reforesting degraded areas.
- Habit
Its habit changes depending on the site and the subspecies. The ssp. austriaca is a large, conical tree with a dense crown (25-35 m in height). The ssp. laricio has a conical crown, slimmer and lighter, with horizontal branches and a height of up to 40 m. The ssp. italica has a pyramidal shape and can reach 15-20 m in height.
- Leaves
The needle-like leaves are up to 15 cm long, arranged in pairs. In the ssp. austriaca they are dark green, stiff, curved and prickly. The ssp. laricio has grey-green, flexible, twisted leaves with a less prickly tip. The ssp. italica has shorter, stiff and prickly leaves. The twigs are yellowish hazel in colour.
- Flowers and fruit
The male flowers, yellow, and the female ones, red, are grouped in separate clusters on the young branches from late spring to early summer. The cones are brown, egg-shaped and 3-8 cm long.
- Bark
Almost black, scaly and furrowed. The upper branches are dark, blackish brown. In the ssp. laricio it is grey and cracks and flakes with age.
- Uses
- The black pine has been, and still is, widely used in reforestation for the many services it gives in restoring fertility. The best timber production, in both quantity and quality, comes from the ssp. laricio in Calabria. The wood is hard, strong and resinous, suitable for construction, packaging and wood pulp. Resins and derived products are also produced. The ssp. austriaca is very resistant to wind and is used to create windbreaks.