This majestic, characterful specimen stands guardian over the Systematic Beds.
Pinus nigra, or the Austrian, or black, pine can reach 30m in height and can live for over 500 years. It is a tough species, enduring pollution and salt, making it both a valuable street tree and also a suitable choice for coastal regions. It has plated bark and when young, a conical shape, though as it matures it forms a broad, open canopy. Several subspecies of P. nigra, are recognised, and their habit reflects the climate of the region in which they grow. P. nigra ssp. pallasiana is a native of eastern Turkey, northern Iran and the Caucasus, where it grows at altitudes up to 2000m. It can reach 40m in height, and often grows with forked trunks, and pale grey, deeply fissured, and scaly, plated bark. The stiff leaves (or needles) grow to 17cm in length.