General Description

Pinus hartwegii has a rounded crown atop a large trunk and can reach heights of 20-30 m. The bark is dark brown with a thick scale to plate-likr appearance. Needles grow in groups of 5 and are dark green in colour. Cones are almost black and conical in shape and spread winged seeds when mature.

Cultivation

Sandy and volcanic rocky soils with little nutrients with pH levels of 4.5-6.5.

Shape

An upright trunk with a wide rounded top and upward curling branches.

Growth

Slow

ID Characteristic

Extremely dark coloured cones with deep brown fissured bark resembling a plating contrasted with deep shiny green needles.

Habitat

High mountainous altitudes reaching 4,000 m.

Bark/Stem Description

Bark thickens and darkens from a light brown to a deeper brown as it ages developing deep fissures creating a scaled-armour appearance.

Flower/Leaf Bud Description

Glossy and resinous a dark amber colour with small green hairs protruding.

Leaf Description

The needles grow to about 10-20 cm in length and are stiff. 5 per fascicle and are dark shiny green.

Flower Description

Dark purple almost black cones at the tips of the branches. Flowers are monoecious and wind pollinated.

Fruit Description

The cones are a dark purple in their youth turning an almost black colour as they mature. When they open they are 5-15 cm in length and 5-8 cm wide. Pollinated in later spring and taking almost 2 years to fully mature, seed wings can have a spread of 2-3 cm.

Colour Description

The foliage is green year-round. The younger bark is a lighter brown turning darker with age. Cones start showing as a dark purple aging to an almost black look, with amber buds protruding in a shiny resin coating.

Texture Description

The bark has a rough scale like feel with burley stiff branchlets curling upwards. The needles are rigid and pointy and the cones are hard as wood with small points on each scale.

Notable Specimens

Cofre de Perote, Mexico.

Propagation

Seeds should be collected in autumn, soaked in warm water for a few days and then stored in plastic wrap placed in a cool place for 60 days. Pot with peat moss and soil in full sun avoiding windy conditions. Once reaching 30 cm permanent planting can take place.

Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)

Used for its lumber and resins.

Mirov, Nicholas . T. (1976) The Story of Pines. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. Ricker, Martin. Gutierrez-Garcia, Genaro. (2007) Modeling long-term tree growth curves in response to warming climates. Bronx, New York: NRC Research Press.