Mountain Pine

For the town in the southern United States, see Mountain Pine, Arkansas.

Mountain Pine Pinus mugo
Foliage and cones of Mountain Pine
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Pinaceae
Genus:	Pinus
Subgenus:	Pinus
Species:	P. mugo
Binomial name
Pinus mugo Turra
Subspecies, cultivars, and forms[1]
P. mugo subsp. mugo Turra - Dwarf Mountain Pine P. mugo subsp. rotunda Janch. & H. Neumayer P. mugo subsp. uncinata (Ramond) Domin - Mountain Pine P. mugo nothosubsp. rotundata Janch. & H. Neumayer P. mugo f. mughoides (Willk.) K.I.Chr. P. mugo Compacta P. mugo Frisia P. mugo Gnom P. mugo Hesse P. mugo Kobold P. mugo Kokarde P. mugo Mops P. mugo Pumilio P. mugo Slavinii P. mugo Variegata P. mugo Virgata
Synonyms
Pinus montana Mill.[1] Pinus mughus Scop.[1]

Pinus mugo, the Mountain Pine or Mugo Pine, is a high-altitude European pine, found in the Pyrenees, Alps, Erzgebirge, Carpathians, northern Apennines and Balkan Peninsula mountains from (mostly) 1,000 m to 2,200 m, occasionally as low as 200 m in the north of the range in Germany and Poland, and as high as 2,700 m in the south of the range in Bulgaria or in the Pyrenees .

Subspecies

There are major two subspecies:

• Pinus mugo subsp. mugo in the east and south of the range (southern & eastern Alps, Balkan peninsula), a low, shrubby, often multi-stemmed plant to 3–6 m tall with symmetrical cones.
• Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata in the west and north of the range (Pyrenees northeast to Poland), a larger, usually single-stemmed tree to 20 m tall with asymmetrical cones (the scales are much thicker on one side of the cone than the other). The two subspecies intergrade extensively (hybrid subspecies rotundata) in the western Alps and northern Carpathians. Some botanists treat the western subspecies as a separate species, Pinus uncinata, others as only a variety, Pinus mugo var. rostrata. This subspecies in the Pyrenees mark the alpine tree line or timberline, the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing.

Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata at 2,200 m in the Néouvielle massif, France.

Both subspecies have similar foliage, with dark green leaves ('needles') in pairs, 3–7 cm long. The cones are nut-brown, 2.5-5.5 cm long, symmetrical, thin-scaled and matt texture in subsp. mugo, asymmetrical with thick scales on the upper side of the cone, thin on the lower side, and glossy, in subsp. uncinata.

The species is highly valued in horticulture, particularly the smaller subsp. mugo. Mountain pines, especially subsp. mugo, are often used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security purposes. The needles deter unauthorised persons from entering private properties, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of mountain pines, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a considerable alternative to artificial fences and walls. They are widely used for ornamental purposes in parts of North America.

An old name for the species Pinus montana is still occasionally seen, and a typographical error "mugho" (first made in a prominent 18th century encyclopedia) is still repeated surprisingly often.

Invasive species

P. mugo is a classed as a wilding conifer, an invasive species that spreads in the high country of New Zealand.

Culinary use

A recent trend is the increase in use of the Mugo Pine in cooking. Buds and young cones are harvested from the wild in the Spring and left to dry in the sun over the Summer and into the Fall. The cones and buds gradually drip syrup, which is then boiled down to a concentrate and combined with sugar to make pine syrup.^[2][3] Menus also use the terms "pinecone syrup"^[4] or "pine cone syrup"^[5] to refer to this ingredient.

Images

• 

  Pinus mugo subsp. mugo in Romania.

• 

  Pinus mugo at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, USA.

• 

  Pinus mugo 'Valley Cushion' at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

• 

  Young cones

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Pinus mugo (Mountain Pine)". BioLib. BioLib. 1999-2010. http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id2322/. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
2. ^ "Wild Mugolio Pine Syrup". Zingerman's Mail Order. Zingerman's Mail Order LLC. 2010. http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=P-WMP. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
3. ^ "Wild Mugolio Pine Syrup". Cube Marketplace. Divine Pasta Company. 2008. http://www.cubemarketplace.com/p-923-wild-mugolio-pine-syrup.aspx. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
4. ^ "Piccolo Restaurant - Minneapolis: Menu". http://www.piccolompls.com/menu.html. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
5. ^ Colicchio, Tom (3 March 2009). "Tom Tuesday Dinner March 3, 2009" (PNG). Tom Tuesday Dinner. http://www.tomtuesdaydinner.com/img/menu-03-03-2009.png. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 

• Christensen, K. I. (1987). Taxonomic revision of the Pinus mugo complex and P. × rhaetica (P. mugo × sylvestris) (Pinaceae). Nordic J. Bot. 7: 383-408.
• Gymnosperm Database - Pinus mugo
• Arboretum de Villadebelle - photos of cones (scroll down page)

External links

• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at Wikimedia Commons
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at Wikispecies
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at Integrated Taxonomic Information System
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at Encyclopedia of Life
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at IUCN Red List
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at BioLib
• Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility

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