Pine family, Pinaceae
Origin: North America
Habitat in the original area: coniferous forests
Habitus: A tree 15–25 metres tall. The crown is conical and densely branched. The bark is grey-brown and peels easily. Young twigs are frosted.
Leaf: The ovate, light grey buds are not resinous. The needles, about 1 centimetre long, are dull, from blue-green to silvery colours. They have a square shape in the cross section, and they smell bad when crushed. They grow mainly on the upper part of the twigs.
Bloom, fruit: The cylindrical cones are green when young. When ripe, they turn light brown. Their length is 3–6 centimetres. The seed scales are thin but inflexible, rounded at the top and all-round.
Interesting fact: It is often planted in a dwarf cultivar called ‘Conica’. It is a low, conical tree with a crown that is densely branched from the ground and has fine, light green needles. This cultivar is widely used in French gardens.
