Pinus halepensis

Pinus halepensis, called the Aleppo pine or Jerusalem pine, is a Mediterranean native. Botanist Philip Miller gave it its official name in his 1768 book *The Gardener's Dictionary*. Miller likely never visited Aleppo, but he noted large specimens at Goodwood in the Duke of Richmond's garden, transplanted in 1739, possibly sent from Syria by Alexander Russell.

This tree is small to medium, reaching 15–25 meters tall, with a trunk up to 60 cm wide (rarely 1 m). Its bark is orange-red, thick and deeply cracked near the base, but thin and flaky higher up. The needles are very slender, 6–12 cm long, a distinct yellowish green, and grow in pairs (occasionally threes). The cones are narrow and conic, 5–12 cm long and 2–3 cm wide at the base when closed. They start green, turn glossy red-brown after two years, and open slowly over several years—faster if exposed to heat like forest fires. Open cones spread 5–8 cm wide to release seeds. The seeds are 5–6 mm long with a 20 mm wing, dispersed by wind.

Aleppo pine is closely related to Turkish pine, Canary Island pine, and maritime pine. Some experts treat Turkish pine as a subspecies (*Pinus halepensis* subsp. *brutia*), but it is usually considered a separate species. The species shows little variation across its range.

Its native range spans Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Spain, southern France, Malta, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. It has been introduced elsewhere, including Portugal. An outlying population—where it was first described—exists in Syria, Lebanon, southern Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. It grows mostly at low altitudes, from sea level to 200 m, but reaches over 1,000 m in southern and eastern Spain, over 1,200 m on Crete, and up to 1,700 m in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It colonizes open, disturbed areas quickly and is considered invasive in South Africa. It thrives on all substrates and in nearly all Mediterranean bioclimates. It is a diagnostic species of the vegetation class *Pinetea halepensis*.

In local cuisines, the resin flavors Greek retsina wine. Tunisians make a pudding called *asidet zgougou* from the pine nuts, served in bowls with cream, almonds, and small candies. The Maltese dessert *prinjolata* also uses these nuts in its filling and as a topping.

In forestry, Aleppo pine is widely planted for timber in Algeria and Morocco. In Israel, natural stands occur in the Carmel and Galilee regions. The Jewish National Fund has planted it extensively, along with *Pinus brutia*, and it succeeded unexpectedly in Yatir Forest on the edge of the Negev desert. Many Israeli forests of Aleppo pine are used for recreation. Some argue that replacing natural oak maquis and garrigue with pine stands has created "ecological deserts" and altered local species. Its timber is valued for hardness and density, and seasons without problems, though planing can cause tearing unless blades are sharp or the sharpening angle adjusted. In South Africa it is considered useful but invasive; in South Australia, a control program operates on the Eyre Peninsula.

As an ornamental, it is popular in hot, dry areas like Southern California and South Africa's Karoo, valued for heat and drought tolerance, fast growth, and looks. It is also used for bonsai.

In culture, Paul Cézanne had an Aleppo pine in his garden at Aix-en-Provence, which inspired his painting *The Big Trees*; the tree still stands as of 2005. The Aleppo pine is linked to ANZAC Day in Australia because soldiers used it in the Battle of Lone Pine during the Gallipoli campaign, and it is often planted at war memorials.