Pinus cembra, also known as Swiss pine, Swiss stone pine, Arolla pine, Austrian stone pine, or just stone pine, is a species of pine tree in the subgenus Strobus.
Description
The Swiss pine is a member of the white pine group,
Pinus subgenus
Strobus, and like all members of that group, the
leaf ('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. The mature size is typically between and in height, and the trunk diameter can be up to . However, it grows very slowly and it may take 30 years for the tree to reach . The
conifer cone, which contain the seeds (or nuts), of the Swiss pine are to long. Cones take 2 years (24 months) to mature. The to long
have only a vestigial wing and are dispersed by spotted nutcrackers. The species is long-lasting and can reach an age between 500 and 1000 years.
In its natural environment, this tree usually reaches reproductive maturity at the age of 50 years (even 80 years, if the conditions are more extreme).
The very similar Siberian pine ( Pinus sibirica) is treated as a variety or subspecies of Swiss pine by some botanists. The Siberian pine differs in having slightly larger cones, being more massive (taller, wider trunk), having a faster growth rate and needles with three resin canals instead of two as in the Swiss pine.
File:Pinus cembra cones in Gröden crop.jpg|Cones of Pinus cembra
File:Fresh Pinus cembra cone in June.jpg|Close-up of an immature cone from a cultivated Pinus cembra
File:Pinus cembra cone dried.jpg|Close-up of a mature cone from a cultivated Pinus cembra
File:Pinus cembra seedling planted for pine nut production.jpg|5-year-old Pinus cembra seedling planted for pine nut production, Baldone, Latvia
File:Bark of an young Arolla pine.jpg|Bark of a young Pinus cembra, National Botanic Garden of Latvia
File:Pinus cembra coupe MHNT.jpg|Cross-section of Pinus cembra - 181 years - MHNT
File:Swiss pine (Pinus cembra) 'Columnaris' cone.jpg| Pinus cembra 'Columnaris' (cultivar) one year-old cone and foliage
Distribution and habitat
The Swiss pine grows in the
Alps and Carpathian Mountains of central
Europe, in
Poland (
Tatra Mountains),
Swiss Alps,
France,
Italy,
Austria,
Germany,
Slovenia,
Slovakia (
Tatra Mountains),
Ukraine and
Romania. It typically grows at to altitude. It often reaches the
tree line in this area.
Ecology
Swiss pine associates with numerous species of
Mycorrhiza from a young age, usually from the genus
Suillus.
This
symbiosis improves the tree's growth and survival rate.
Uses
Swiss pine is a popular ornamental tree in
and large
, giving steady though not fast growth on a wide range of sites where the
climate is cold. It is very tolerant of severe winter cold, hardy down to at least , and also of wind exposure. The seeds are also harvested and sold as
. When cultivated, it will likely start producing cones after the age of 12 years, much faster than in the wild. This depends on the climate, soil type,
fungi etc. To make the tree bear cones faster, the tree can be inoculated with
fungi, such as
Suillus luteus, Suillus americanus, Suillus placidus etc. These are the most effective.
cones cut into slices are used to flavor schnapps, which is then sold as "Zirbenschnaps" or "Zirbeler" schnapps.
The wood is the most used for carvings in Val Gardena since the 17th century.
The cone of the Swiss pine was the field sign of the Roman legion stationed in Rhaetia in 15 BC, and hence it is used as the heraldic charge (known as Zirbelnuss in German) in the coat of arms of the city of Augsburg, the site of the Roman fort Augusta Vindelicorum.
It is also a species that is often used in bonsai.
Pinus cembra can be found in the uppermost forest belt where it helps to minimize the risk of avalanches and soil erosion. Due to this ability, the tree is valued as a stabilizing factor for afforestation projects at high elevations.
Like other European and white pines, Swiss pine is very resistant to white pine blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola). This fungal disease was accidentally introduced from Europe into North America, where it has caused severe mortality in the American native white pines in many areas, notably, Western white pine and the closely related whitebark pine. Swiss pine is of great value for research into hybridization to develop rust resistance in these species.
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