Swiss pine

The Swiss pine is the only native pine with needles collected in clusters of 5 and produces cylindrical cones, dark blue that turn light brown at maturity, containing seeds wrapped in a hard coat (pine nuts) that are released in the third year when the cone begins to decay. The pine nuts are edible, and in the past, oil was extracted from them for culinary use, which was very aromatic.

The name, of uncertain origin, according to some, may derive from the Old High German zimbar, wood, while according to others, it comes from the name of the Cimbri, Germanic peoples whose life and culture were linked to the forest.

It is a plant that prefers mature, deep soils rich in humus but poor in nutrients, where it develops extensive surface roots; however, it also adapts to rocky areas.

The Swiss pine is found at altitudes between 1500 and 2400 meters (maximum altitude 2700 meters). It withstands very low temperatures and strong thermal excursions. It grows better where young plants can have cover. We often find it in association with larch, where the Swiss pine can be born and develop under the sparse crowns. Often, we see it growing among the roots and in the stumps of larch because this is where the nutcracker hides its seeds!

The nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is a typical bird of the Swiss pine forests in the subalpine zone. It belongs to the crow family (Corvidae) and feeds mainly on the seeds of the Swiss pine, with which it forms a close symbiosis, greatly contributing to its dissemination.

In autumn, the intelligent corvid stores up to 100,000 pine nuts with their shells in protected places, which it will find during winter, even in the event of heavy snowfall. Its stores are in the ground, among tree roots, in cushions of lichens, but also in crevices between rocks. The nutcracker uses most of the hiding places but can leave some seeds that will germinate and give life to new trees.