This majestic, characterful specimen stands guardian over the Systematic Beds.
Pinus nigra, or the Austrian, or black, pine can reach 30 m 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 2000 m. It can reach 40 m in height, and often grows with forked trunks, and pale grey, deeply fissured, and scaly, plated bark. The stiff leaves (or needles) grow to 17 cm in length.