tree over 50 m tall, trunk is straight, solid wood, continuous
the crown is conical, sparse.
the branches are arranged in a helix, standing out horizontally
the bark is yellow-brown, relatively quickly a coarse, longitudinally cracked bark of a brownish-red to gray-brown color is formed
the root system is initially circular, later it becomes heart-shaped
Buds
the buds are approx. 2 mm large, globular, light brown, shiny
Shoots
it forms two types of branches:
long shoots (macroblasts) - they are thin, light yellow, bald, often drooping on older trees
shortened shoots (brachyblasts) - they grow on two-year-old and older branches, they bear flowers and bunches of needles
Leaves (assimilation organs)
assimilating organs are needle-like, delicate, light green (or bluish - varieta glauca) , flat, 20 - 40 x 1 mm large
on shoots they grow one by one on a whorl
on brachyblasts they grow in bundles of 20 - 60 pcs
in autumn the needles turn yellow and fall off
Flowers
monoecious wood, flowers of different sexes
blooms III – IV at the same time as the leaves develop
flowers grow from brachyblasts
♂ cones are ovoid to spherical, yellow, 5 - 10 mm large
♀ cones are almost spherical, the supporting scales are larger than the seed scales, they become larger after pollination and cover the supporting ones, ♀ cones can be either:
red or
green
Fruits – seeds
fruit is a cone 1.2 - 4 x 1.5 - 2 .0 cm large, broadly ovoid, light brown
it ripens in autumn in the first year and persists on the tree for several more years
seed is 3 - 4 mm large, triangular, ovoid, light yellow, shiny with firmly attached 9 - 11 mm long wing,it is released from the cones in the second year, germination is low ± 33%
Extension
originally Alps, Carpathians , the European part of Russia up to Siberia
in Slovakia in the northernmost - mountainous regions of central Slovakia, from 400 to 1,800 m above the sea level
at the upper limit, the forest line forms stands together with Norway spruce (Picea abies) and limbo pine (Pinus cembra)
it grows singly or in groups, mainly on prominent sunny ridges
Ecology
distinctly light-loving woody plant of a continental climate
thrives on deep, airy and freshly moist soils - mostly on limestones
