Pinus uncinata

This tree can be up to 25 m tall. It is very solid and has very dark, blackish, scaly bark. Normally it has a pyramidal form with a dense canopy of very darkly coloured leaves and branches. Nevertheless, in extreme conditions, such as windy or hilly areas, places that experience blizzards, and also in young specimens, this tree can become very deformed according to the dominant wind direction. Due to the accumulated weight of snow and ice in its branches, it can also acquire a rather squat form. It branches practically from the base and the young twigs are chestnut brown. The dark green leaves are acicular, generally 3-8 cm long and arranged on the twigs in very densely clustered pairs, like on a scrubbing brush. The dark colour of the leaves and bark explains its common name in Spanish: 'pino negro', the black pine. The cones are 5-7 cm long. They are very characteristic and distinguish this pine from the others found on the peninsula, as they are clearly asymmetrical and their scales are hook-shaped, hence its Latin name uncinata. The seeds (pine nuts) have a membranous wing to facilitate their dispersion by wind.