Pinus peuce (Balkan Pine, Greek Stone Pine, Macedonian Pine)

Pinus peuce (Balkan Pine, Greek Stone Pine, Macedonian Pine) is a popular decorative tree in parks and big gardens, providing consistent, if slow, growth on a variety of locations. It can withstand extreme winter cold (hardy to at least -50°F) as well as wind exposure. Young trees have smooth, silvery grey bark that becomes darker and rougher as they get older, while extremely old trees have thick, brown square-fissured bark. Branches are level in the lower crown of the tree and become erect in the higher crown and at branch ends; high altitude trees have more erect branches than lower altitude ones. Uninodal shoots are green while young and gray-brown at the end of the first year. The texture is silky and lustrous.