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A tree up to 120 ft high in the wild; densely branched, and slenderly pyramidal; young shoots glossy green, quite glabrous. Leaves in fives, mostly
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A tree up to 120 ft high in the wild; densely branched, and slenderly pyramidal; young shoots glossy green, quite glabrous. Leaves in fives, mostly falling in their third year, 3 to 4 in. long, very densely borne on the shoots, pointed forwards, three-sided; two of the sides have three or four lines of white stomata, the other one is bright green; margins roughened with tiny teeth; leaf-sheaths soon falling. Cones on stalks about 1⁄3 in. long, themselves 4 or 5 in. long, 11⁄4 to 11⁄2 in. wide before expanding; scales in the middle about 11⁄2 in. long, half as wide, thin at the margins.
Native of Yugoslav Macedonia, where it was discovered by Grisebach near Bitolj in 1839; from there it ranges northward through Albania to north-east Montenegro (Crna Gora), and is also found in Bulgaria. It was introduced in 1864. One of the smaller and slower-growing pines, this is suitable for small gardens. It grows about 1 ft in height yearly. It is considered to be very closely allied to P. wallichiana, but the two are extremely distinct in general appearance. P. peuce is much denser in leaf and branch; its leaves are shorter, greener, and never have the kink near the base seen in P. wallichiana. The cones also are shorter and thicker. It resembles P. cembra more as a young tree, but that species has very shaggy young shoots.
P. peuce is an undemanding species, growing well on most soils. A tree at Stourhead, Wilts, measuring 93 × 12 ft (1970) is the largest in the country and probably from the original introduction. Two trees mentioned by Elwes and Henry early this century are: Kew, 42 × 33⁄4 ft (1909), now 59 × 6 ft (1969); and Bicton, Devon, 42 × 33⁄4 ft (1906), now 94 × 8 ft (1968). Some other examples are: Westonbirt, Glos., pl. 1876, 75 × 73⁄4 ft (1971); Wakehurst Place, Sussex, pl. 1915, 65 × 61⁄4 ft (1970); National Pinetum, Bedgebury, Kent, pl. 1926, 45 × 5 ft (1969).
specimens: Stourhead, Wilts., probably from the original introduction, 105 × 131⁄2 ft (1984); Bicton, Devon, a tree mentioned by Elwes and Henry early this century, 100 × 9 ft (1983); Wakehurst Place, Sussex, pl. 1915, 85 × 63⁄4 ft (1982); National Pinetum, Bedgebury, Kent, pl. 1926, 58 × 51⁄2 ft (1981); Wotton Park, Surrey, 89 × 103⁄4 ft (1983); Westonbirt, Glos., pl. 1876, 85 × 8 ft (1979); Scone Castle, Perth, 75 × 93⁄4 ft (1984); Monteviot, Roxb., 95 × 11 ft (1983).