Pinus nigra - Austrian Pine (Pinaceae) ------Pinus nigra is a bold-textured, long-needled, and USAGE dark green Pine tree that is ideal for midwestern soils Function and climates. Austrian Pine is plagued by a -evergreen tree used either as a single specimen, or in combination of being overplanted and being very group or mass plantings as a visual screen or susceptible to the fungal infection known as diplodia windbreak, and casting dense shade with maturity tip blight. Texture -bold texture in youth (becoming very bold-textured FEATURES with age as the branches develop a semi-contorted Form character, the trunk becomes bare, and the bark -large evergreen specimen tree develops plates and a bicolored pattern) -maturing at about 40' tall x 20' -thick density in youth but variable with age wide in urban situations, but can Assets reach much larger dimensions -probably the most urban tolerant pine for the under optimum conditions with Midwestern U.S. extreme maturity -winter salt spray tolerant (one of the few Pines) -upright oval to upright pyramidal very bold texture growth habit in youth, becoming -attractive white-green "candles" in spring rounded and flat-topped with maturity -ornamental white-and-black bark with age -medium growth rate Liabilities Culture -diplodia tip blight is a potentially severe disease -full sun to partial sun problem that may limit the plant's use in future -performs best in full sun in moist, well-drained soils, Habitat but very adaptable to adverse soil conditions -Zones 4 to 7 (including clay, compacted, poor, and/or alkaline -Native to various regions of Europe, including soils), moderate to heavy winter salt spray, heat, Austria drought, and pollution -propagated primarily by seeds SELECTIONS -diplodia tip blight (Diplodia pinea, also known as Alternates Sphaeropsis sapinea) is a serious disease -bold-textured evergreen trees (Picea pungens, Pinus (specifically fungal) problem, and pine sawfly larvae heldreichii var. leucodermis, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus is an occasional pest problem (but not nearly as taeda, etc.) severe as in Mugo Pine) -screen or windbreak evergreen trees (Abies -abundantly available in B&B form concolor, Abies fraseri, Picea abies, Picea pungens, Foliage Pinus strobus, etc.) -2 evergreen needles per bundle, to 5" long and stiff Variants -dark green, radiating from the very stout stems, and -the species form is practically the only available persisting for about 5 choice; however, Bosnian Pine (Pinus heldreichii yrs. on the stems var. leucodermis), which is slower-growing but Flowers strikingly similar in its bold, dark-green foliaged, -like all pines, broadly pyramidal appearance and salt spray monoecious, flowering tolerance as compared to Austrian Pine, may become in late Apr. and early its substitute in the future, IF Bosnian Pine does not May, and while develop diplodia tip blight in landscape plantings noticeable they are ornamentally NOTE: Terminal foliage and stems are very insignificant susceptible to diplodia tip blight, which slowly but Fruits surely kills entire branches (and entire trees in a -2" brown cones group planting if left unchecked for several years); Twigs however, the death of these terminal stems (usually -yellowish green and exposed to the sun) is sometimes confused with stout when emerging from the large terminal buds as interior branch dieback, a natural occurrence in all upright "candles", becoming gray, rough, needle- trees due to self-shading. scarred, and very stout with age The inexpensive and thoroughly preventive early care Trunk for diplodia tip blight is to annually inspect each tree -gray-brown furrows and ridges are often hidden by in a given area, and snip off the infected stems the lower branches, unless the tree is limbed up with anytime between late summer and late winter at 1' age below the point of dieback, as repeated infection by -upon prolonged exposure to sunlight, the outer bark fungal spores is transmitted each spring (primarily to on mature trees becomes chalky white, and the inner the newly emerging candles, primarily by splashing bark darkens to almost black, creating a platy zebra- rainwater); more expensive treatments are chemical like pattern with maturity; however, only Austrian or fungicidal in nature as the new candles expand in Pines that are limbed up and of old age exhibit this growth, and have a narrow window of application in trait order to yield an effective result for the entire year.