Pineapple (Pine tree)
Appearance: Tall evergreen coniferous tree 25-30 m, with a characteristic quite densely compact, umbrella crown, which is circular or hemispherical in outline. The trunk is often distorted, usually divided into numerous thick branches at a low height.
Koran of young specimens gray or light gray, on older trees, it is more strongly divided into scaly surfaces and covered with deep scratches in a pattern of slats. At first, young shoots turn gray-green. Donuts with light brown scales, on the edges, irregularly ruffled, they are grouped at the ends of the shoots.
There are two pins on the shoots 10-20 cm in length and about 2 mm in width, often slightly twisted, with numerous, very delicate longitudinal stripes, dark green to greyish green. all in all, they are quite loose. Male cones approx 1 cm, oval, usually very numerous. Ripe female cones measuring approx 10 cm are shiny, light brown or brown red. quite symmetrical, with an oval shape, The discs on the scales of the cones are only slightly convex. Ripening only in the third year after flowering.
Habitat: Pines prefer dry and warm, loose soils and are therefore common in coastal areas. Due to their extreme sensitivity to frost, they are hardly ever found outside the Mediterranean.
Occurrence: Typical coniferous tree of the Mediterranean area, it occurs in the wild mostly on the coasts in its western part, but it is also often planted in the eastern part, Even in Germany or in the mild parts of central Europe, it does not survive the winter,
Flowering period: June to July.
General thoughts: Pine with its broad, its umbrella-like crown is considered a characteristic tree of Mediterranean countries and creates picturesque groves there, shaping the landscape. From antiquity, it was also planted along streets to provide shade. Famous were, for example, mentioned by numerous Latin writers on Via Appia, connecting Rome with southern Italy. Unlike other pine species, the pine trees are not very sensitive to the effects of wind. The constant wind from one direction deforms the crown, causing it to be pulled out on one side, overall, however, it does not inhibit the development of the tree. In addition, pine trees withstand longer periods of drought surprisingly well. A further peculiarity is the very large oily seeds, which, like lime trees, are edible and even commercially available under the names pinocchi or pignons. They are considered a delicacy and used in a variety of traditional Italian dishes. Pine wood is very strong and hard, It includes, compared to other species, little resin and is often used as building wood (stairs, windows, door), and recently also more and more often for the production of kitchen furniture,