5 needled pine?

[Gary Prentice]

Came across this today, in a garden with some unusual conifers.

 

The needles are 60-70mm, quite triangular in cross-section with pale stripes on two of the faces.

 

Habit is fairly cluttered, not a large tree but I thing it's mature in that there was plenty of cones present. Probably a cultivar, but of what?

 

It's not too far from home so I can get more photos later in the week. The pictures don't really exhibit how white the canopy appears, as the needles are mostly twisted with some of the undersides uppermost - if that makes sense.

 

No pictures of ripe cones, I forgot!

[stihlmadasever]

Looks like a arolla pine (pinus cembra).

Arollas have leaves born in groups of five if that helps

[Gary Prentice]

I thought the needles were a little short (Collins says short - 8cm) these are nearer six, habit isn't spire or column like.

 

Arolla pine has squat cones - these aren't so much, large triangular scales still un-opened when they fall. This has open cones on the tree.

 

Shoot is brown with dense hairs though.

 

Not 100% sure that it's not a cultivar of it though. I think I'll being going back to document it further.

[openspaceman]

Pinus parviflora

 

That's what I thought from the description but I doubt I have ever seen one

[Gary Prentice]

The plate in Collins shows it as quite sparse, so I'd discounted that, but you may well be right.

 

I should be doing something else right now, but I'll do some searching later and return to the tree to confirm during the week.

 

Thank you:thumbup:

[Gary Prentice]

That's what I thought from the description but I doubt I have ever seen one

 

I can post some samples to you:001_smile:

 

I'll get some more photo's too

[Andrew Gale]

I'm with EdwardC and openspaceman with Pinus parviflora

[Gary Prentice]

I'm with EdwardC and openspaceman with Pinus parviflora

 

Thanks Andrew - one for my plant portfolio then!

[openspaceman]

I'm with EdwardC and openspaceman with Pinus parviflora

 

My choice was purely from a desk exercise, my experience is mainly forestry and there aren't that many trees in commercial forestry. The only 5 needle pine I came across was weymouth pine and not many of them, I realised it was not that so searched a bit.

[Andrew Gale]

I have a book called Conifers of the World by James E. Eckenwalder and although the images are black and white the descriptions are pretty good.

 

The length of the needles drew me to P. parviflora as the majority of 5 needled pines tend to have longer needles; Eckenwalder describes P. parviflora as having stiff, curved needles that seem to resemble those in your photos.