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  • Pinus mugo var. pumilio

Pinus mugo var. pumilio

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Dwarf mountain pine (Pinus mugo var. pumilio) is a dwarf, shrubby conifer native to the mountains of central Europe. It is a geographical variant that produces smaller, more compact plants. This helps it survive under enormous snow packs and avalanches. In ten years dwarf mountain pine reaches a height and width of just 2 m/6 ft


Dwarf mountain pine has green needles in bundles of two. They are rigid, slightly curved and stay on for five years or more. In winter, their tips sometimes become yellow-green. Dwarf pine’s small round cones have prickles on their scales and ripen in fall. When the cones and buds are harvested in spring and left to dry in the sun over the summer, they gradually drip syrup. The syrup is boiled down, combined with sugar, and sold as pine cone syrup. Delicious with pancakes and tea made from mountain pine’s needles.


But for the larvae (caterpillars) of the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), this shrubby conifer’s needles are an essential - their food source. It doesn’t stop there though. Many birds rely on caterpillars to feed their young. Every link in the chain of life matters. 

 

Mugo pine owes its discovery by the horticultural world to two unrelated events. First, mountaineering became popular in the mid-19th century. People were drawn to the Alps far from the polluted city centers where they worked. Not everyone took to climbing mountains but many fell in love with the plants of the high mountain meadows. By the 1880s, rock gardening had emerged as an enduring garden form. 


The second event took place in Denmark and Norway. Coastal sand dunes were expanding during the late 19th century and whole villages had to be relocated. This was because of the deforestation that had occurred during past centuries. Mugo pine is able to colonize poor, infertile and sandy soil. It was planted to stabilize the dunes. 


The pictures were taken in the Alpine Garden in winter. 


Text and photos by Hughie Jones.

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  • Home
  • Updates
    • What's New
    • Curator Updates
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact