Pinus nigra 'Black Prince' (Black Prince, Austrian Pine)


Michael's Opinion

A small compact, rounded evergreen, excellent for gardens and along walkways with its dark needles and white-silvery buds. It is a good ground cover not growing much larger than a meter and can tolerate urban conditions very well.

Botanical Information

FamilyPinaceae
GenusPinus
Speciesnigra
Cultivar'Black Prince'
CategoryWoody
TypeShrub (evergreen)
ReferencesHartmann, Hudson Thomas, and Dale E. Kester. "Plant propagation: principles and practices". 3d ed. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall, 1975. Print. , Bloom, Adrian, and Richard Bloom. "Gardening with conifers". Willowdale, Ont.: Firefly Books, 2002. Print.
OriginDiscovered by Don Hatch of Chantry Nurseries, Devon, England.
Pronunciation

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone4
USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canadian Hardiness Zone2a
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness ZoneH7
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Temperature (°C)(-32)
Temperature (°F)(-25)
Height1.2 m
Spread1.2 m
GrowthSlow
Flowering PeriodApril

Description and Growing Information

General DescriptionThe bark is very fissured and is a pale grey in colour, with dark green needles and silver-white buds.
ID CharacteristicEasily identified by its dark green needles and white to silvery buds and fissured, pale grey bark.
ShapeSmall and compact, with rounded tops.
LandscapeRock garden, specimen or groundcover plant.
PropagationGrafting onto the rootstock of Pinus nigra.
CultivationSlightly acidic soils in full sun: urban tolerant.
PestsDiplodia tip blight is a major problem and can cause mortality if it isn't pruned off immediately.
Notable SpecimensWhistling Gardens Wilsonville, Ontario, Canada.
HabitatHorticultural origin.
Bark/Stem DescriptionFissured with a grey to light brown and scaled along the branches. As the tree matures, the bark takes on a darker tone, with deeper fissures running vertically.
Flower/Leaf Bud DescriptionBuds are ovoid to cylindric, resinous, 1 cm in length with a light brown to white colour.
Leaf DescriptionFascicles of 2, dark green in colour, 5-7 cm long and sharp at the tip.
Flower DescriptionThe tree is monoecious, male cones are cylindrical and yellow, found in large clusters along the branches. The female cones are oval, and a purple to yellow colour.
Fruit DescriptionThe cones are oval, 2-3 cm long and a pale brown to yellow colour.
Colour DescriptionThe needles a deep dark green, bark a grey to pale yellow. The buds are white to light grey, and cones light brown to pale yellow.
Texture DescriptionCoarse.

Photographs