Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Family: Pinaceae
What it is like
An evergreen tree. It grows 15-30 m high and spreads 7.5-9 m wide. The young bark is reddish-brown. It develops a tall clean trunk. The leaves are twisted in pairs. They are grey or blue-green. The needles are 3-14 cm long by 1-2 mm wide. They are stiff and have a sharp point. The edges have fine teeth. Male flowers grow at the base of the shoot. Crimson female flowers are in pairs at the end of the current year's growth. The cones are green and ripen to pale grey or red-brown. They are 8 cm long. They often occur in clusters of 2 or 3. They point back along the stem. The seed are released slowly during winter and the following spring. The seeds are very dark brown and 2-4 mm long. The seed cone scales are 4 sided and raised. Some varieties have been described based on the colour of the winter buds and the thickness of the needles.
There are over 100 species of Pinus.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It occurs naturally in mountainous areas in the northern temperate regions. In China it grows in river basins and on dry rocky slopes between 400-1600 m altitude in N China. They are intolerant of shade. It suits hardiness zones 2-9. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens. St Mary's church Hagley.
Countries/locations it is found in
Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Belarus, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, Falklands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, North America, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Serbia, Siberia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia
How it is used for food
The cones have been used to flavour beer and wine. The inner bark is dried and used as a flour additive. It is also used in soups. The leaves and twigs yield an essential oil used in the food industry to flavour drinks, frozen dairy food, and baked goods. The young shoots are covered with sugar to make syrup. They are also used for jam. The young needles are dried and ground and used as a famine food together with rye, barley and pea flour.
It is cultivated.
Edible parts
Cones - flavouring, bark, leaves - oil, resin, sap
How it is grown
Seed production begins at 10-15 years with good crops every 3-6 years.
Its other names
Local names
Furu, Mand, Pedai, Pedaja, Pettai, Pusis, Ou zhou chi song, Rdeči bor, Sancam, Scotch Pine, Sasna, Siberian Pine, Sosna