The Corsican pine belongs to the scientific genus Pinus and is a member of the pine family (Pinaceae).
Corsican pine (Pinus nigra var. maritima) is a conifer species growing to over 40m and flowering May to June.
Lifespan: In the UK, the Corsican pine has reached ages of 200 years. In its native range it has lived for over 500 years.
Characteristics
A straight-boled, lightly branched tree with thick bark of greyish-pink to greyish-black (giving the name; nigra), fibrous and finely flaking becoming deeply furrowed and plated with age. Shoots are yellow-brown and slightly ridged. Terminal buds are brown, 1.5–2cm, broad at the base and narrow abruptly to a sharp point, often coated in white resin.
Needles are long (8–14cm), grey-green, soft with a distinctive twist so they appear wavy. They grow in pairs.
Corsican pine is monoecious; both male and female flowers are found on the same tree. Male flowers are 1.3cm barrel-shaped clusters of yellow anthers growing at the base of shoots. Female flowers grow at the tips of the shoot; these are small (5mm), ovoid and rosy-pink. The tree is wind pollinated.
The cones are large (5–8cm), mid-brown and slightly lopsided and uneven in shape; they mature two years after flowering, usually in December. Seeds are large and winged.
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