Pinus Pinea Seeds (Stone Pine)

The Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) is also called Italian Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine (not to be confused with Japanese Umbrella pine, Sciadopitys verticillata), and Parasol Pine. It is in the pine family Pinaceae and occasionally listed under the invalid name Pinus sativa. The tree is native to the Mediterranean region. It occurs in Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Levant. Stone pines have been used and cultivated for their edible pine nuts since prehistoric times. They are widespread in horticultural cultivation as ornamental trees, planted in gardens and parks around the world. The Stone pine is a coniferous evergreen tree growing to 12?20 metres (39?66 ft) in height, and can exceed 25 metres (82 ft) height. In youth, it is a bushy globe, in mid-age an umbrella canopy on a thick trunk, and, in maturity, a broad and flat crown 40?60 metres (130?200 ft) in width. The bark is thick, red-brown and deeply fissured into broad vertical plates.