Stone Pine - introduced (*Pinus pinea)

Family: Pinaceae (Pine family).

Native of the Mediterranean region and western Asia.

Occurrence: Widely planted. The only local record as a weed is for the west side of the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens, presumably growing from seed from Stone Pines planted in the eastern side of the gardens.

Identification:

• it grows grows to a distinctive flat-topped tree
• the needles are usually in pairs
• the cones are oval to sub-spherical.

The umbrella shape of Stone Pines is distinctive.

It is widely culivated overseas for its seeds.