How to distinguish pine from cedar outwardly. Siberian cedar: description, planting and cultivation

Cedar and pine are two trees that belong to the same Pine family. Despite the external similarity, both plants have a number of significant differences.

What is cedar and pine

Cedar- This is a genus of trees of the Pine family, which consists of only a few species.
Lebanese cedar
Pine- This is a genus of trees of the Pine family, with about 120 species.
Scotch pine
Siberian cedar pine

Comparison of cedar and pine

What is the difference between cedar and pine?
Cedars are common within the subtropical climate zone– Mediterranean, mountainous Crimea, Himalayas. Therefore, there are only a few species of these plants - the Lebanese, Himalayan and Atlas cedar.
Pines are distributed within the temperate and subtropical climates in Eurasia and North America. Today on Earth there are about 200 species of pines. Pines are evergreens. Depending on the living conditions, they look like large trees with a crown different shapes, and miniature shrubs.
Cedar is a monoecious plant, reaching 50 meters in height. The tree is evergreen, has a characteristic, spreading crown. The needles are arranged in a spiral, collected in bundles of 30-40 pieces each. A separate needle resembles a needle. It can be triangular or tetrahedral, painted in a special emerald-steel color.
Pine is a monoecious plant with long or short needles. From two to five long needles are collected in a bundle, the number of which underlies the taxonomy of pines. When damaged, rosettes form on the tree, from which short needles grow. The color of the green mass of pine depends on the climate and the quality of the soil, therefore it varies from light silver to intense green.
Cedar cones are located singly, "stick out" like candles, and have a special barrel-shaped shape. Such a cone matures in the second or third year of its formation. This organ of seed incubation is characterized by the presence of numerous, spirally arranged scales, to which tiny scales are attached - only 15% of the total weight of the cone! - winged seeds. The embryo of the future cedar consists of 8-10 cotyledons. When a seed enters the ground, a sprout of a new cedar is able to grow - “hatch” in just 3 weeks.
Pine cones have a characteristic oblong shape, do not "stick out", but sadly hang from the branches. While the process of seed maturation is in progress, the scales fit very tightly, but when ripe, they open, “releasing” the seeds. Each scale has a pair of winged or wingless seeds. A very small pine germ has 4 to 15 cotyledons. Germination time depends on the type and geographical location of the plant.
Due to the greater distribution and number of species, pine is more intensively used by humans.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between cedar and pine is as follows:

The number of pine species is ten times greater than the number of cedar species.
The area of ​​distribution of pine is much wider than that of cedar.
The morphology and size of pine is much more diverse than that of cedar.
There are more needles in a cedar bunch than in a pine one.
Pine massifs have more economic importance for humanity.

Coniferous wood materials, due to their characteristics, are widely used in the construction of not only houses and baths, but also in the construction of gazebos and other objects. Such material is also highly popular in interior decoration, for example, lining is the most popular material for bath decoration. However, it is worth noting that conifers are different.

The properties of pine and cedar are very similar in many ways, but there are still differences. Pine is highly susceptible to shrinkage, which makes it less durable material, and strong, deep furrows appear after drying. If we consider cedar from the point of view of finishing, then we can note many positive aspects. The main ones can be called: the preservation, for a long time, of the original appearance and beneficial effects on the human body.

Having decided to build houses from cedar, choosing a material, in order not to be deceived by the consumer, it is necessary to know the differences between coniferous materials. After all, a wooden house, depending on the material used, will have different characteristics.

The main differences between cedar and pine are:

• Cedar (average) is several times higher than pine;
• This tree species has a longer lifespan, up to 800 years, unlike pine, which lives up to 120 years.
• Flowering in cedar also occurs later than pine;
• The cedar has a small number of furrows, unlike the pine.
• Cedar is a more porous tree (like a cork), thus its thermal conductivity is 30% less than that of pine, which means that a 30 cm cedar log will keep heat as well as a 40 cm diameter pine log.

In addition, cedar has a warm shade of pinkish tone, and over time it acquires a reddish color. Hand-cut log cabins have a pleasant, light aroma, which has a number of medicinal properties. The most popular type of cedar is Altai. Growing in the Altai Mountains. It is this type of wood that has a unique shade and aroma incomparable with any other Siberian cedar.

Often, hand-cut houses are made from Canadian wood, as it has dark tones, which can be remotely compared with a brown or red tint. This type of wood practically does not emit active, healing elements. The smell also has a weak, but many times stronger than pine, but inferior to Siberian cedar. This material will be optimal for the construction of a bath from a gun carriage.

A house made from Far Eastern cedar material will have a color somewhere between red and brown. This material is rather weak amber, but in terms of strength it is not inferior to Siberian cedar. Unlike pine, relatively shallow furrows appear on this material when it dries out.

This tree is called the Siberian cedar. Although botanists dispute the name - and rightly so: it does not belong to the genus Cedar, but it has a closely related relationship with pines. This biological species is called Siberian pine (in Latin Pinus sibirica). Sometimes "cedar" is added. Since we are not specialists - taxonomists, we don’t go into such subtleties anymore, we call the tree as it is customary. You can call it in different ways - both cedar and Siberian cedar pine - after all, it is important that we understand what we are talking about ... And indeed, what should we do now if in Siberia the forests of Siberian pine are called "cedar"? Don't rename...

First of all, the Siberian cedar is very beautiful tree! Slender, covered with dense, long and soft needles. Take a closer look - in a bunch of Siberian cedar there are five long needles, and not two, like in. The needles are trihedral, dark green, covered with a wax coating. The bark also differs in color - in the Siberian cedar it is grayish-brown. The crown is dense, with thick branches. shoots last year stand out for their color - they are rather silver-brown.

The tree grows very slowly. Apparently, for this reason, the cedar grows so slender. He can live for a long time - up to five hundred years, and maybe more. And only in 50 - 60 years the Siberian cedar begins to bear fruit. Then, on the tops of young shoots, female cones appear, in which, under the covering scales, there are seed scales with two ovules. And near the base of the shoot of the last year, male cones grow, pollen ripens in them. It is carried by the wind (as, indeed, with all pine trees).

For more than a year, the seeds of the Siberian cedar ripen in cones. Here they are very different from the seeds of Scotch pine! Large ones - about a centimeter in length, more than half a centimeter in thickness - they were called "pine nuts" (although, from the point of view of biologists, they are not nuts again!). They have no wings and cannot be dispersed by the wind, like the seeds of Scotch pine, if only because of their weight. But taiga animals - squirrel, chipmunk, bird nutcracker - take the most active part in the distribution of seeds. Part of their stocks made for the winter may be forgotten, lost. And then in the spring the seeds from such a "pantry" germinate.

Seeds ripen by the end of the summer of the year following pollination, in August. The buds dry out, become less resinous and begin to fall off the trees. It was then that in the places of mass growth of Siberian pine, the collection of "pine nuts" (the so-called "battle of the pine cone") begins. Previously, this process was rather strictly regulated by the peasant communities. Then the state took over this function. What is happening now, we, who live far from the cedars, can only guess ...

Pine nuts are eaten both directly and as part of different dishes. They are very useful, as they contain almost all the amino acids we need, B vitamins, vitamins E and K. Siberian pine seeds are rich in trace elements - manganese, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus. And yet, pine nuts are mainly used for the production of cedar oil.

Pine nuts contain a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids. If they are extracted from the seeds, a valuable cedar oil will be obtained, which can be used both in cooking and for medicinal purposes. It surpasses olive in its qualities! But when buying it, you need to make sure that you are buying a really valuable product. The fact is that to extract the oil there is several ways. The first one is cold pressing. The seeds are placed under a press and the oil is squeezed out of them. It is cold-pressed oil that should be used for medical purposes, as well as in cosmetics. There are also several hot pressing methods. In principle, they are all similar in that the chopped nuts are heated and then pressed. The yield of oil in this case is greater, but its value is reduced, since many substances are destroyed when heated. This oil is used in cooking. And finally, there is extraction. What it is? To extract the oil, a substance is added to the seeds - a solvent (for example, it can be gasoline), and then the oil and this same solvent are separated. I think you can not talk about the "usefulness" for the health of the last product. So it makes sense to buy cedar oil only from well-known sellers, being interested in documents about where and how it was produced. Naturally, cold-pressed oil will also be the most expensive. The cake remaining after pressing the oil is used in cooking, in the confectionery industry.

Pine Siberian cedar (Siberian cedar) in vivo grows in Eastern and Western Siberia, Altai, the Urals and the northeast of the Russian Plain. One can think that once this tree was distributed much further to the west, since there is a European cedar pine, close relative Siberian, inhabitant of the Carpathians. Perhaps during the last glaciation, which took place 25 - 12 thousand years ago, the area was cut by a glacier. Subsequently, developing in isolation, these plants gradually diverged in a number of ways, and two separate species arose.

Siberian cedar has long been successfully cultivated by foresters in many places in Russia. Such groves of Siberian pine exist in the Arkhangelsk (near Koryazhma) and Vologda regions (near Veliky Ustyug, not far from Ustyuzhna). There are cedar plantations both in the central and northwestern regions of Russia. There are cedar nurseries where this tree is grown. And in the park of Illarion Ivanovich Dudorov in the north of the Vologda region, cedar pines also grow. I think there is a great sense in supporting and spreading this tradition. We can get (more precisely, of course, not we, not even our children, but our great-grandchildren!) the most valuable forest species.

It's evergreen conifer tree, which is a species of the genus Pine. Its botanical name is Siberian. To grow this evergreen conifer, you will need seeds (pine nuts). It is common in Western and Eastern Siberia, and also it can be found in the Urals.

Siberian cedar: description, photo

It has a rather dense and most often multi-vertex crown with massive branches. Siberian cedar is distinguished by a brown-gray trunk, which is covered with fissured scaly bark (mainly in old trees). The peculiarity of this evergreen coniferous tree is whorled branching. It has a very short growing season (40-45 days a year), so the Siberian cedar is one of the slow-growing and shade-tolerant species.

Shoots and needles of the Siberian cedar

They are Brown color and covered with long reddish hairs. And the needles are brown and covered with long reddish hairs. And the needles have a dark green color with a bluish bloom. Its length is 6 - 14 cm. In the section, you can see that it is trihedral and slightly serrated. The needles are quite soft to the touch. It grows in bunches with five needles.

Features of the root system of the Siberian cedar

It is represented by one short tap root (up to 40 - 50 cm), from which smaller lateral ones grow, and root hairs with developing mycorrhiza at the tips already depart from them. If the bud is light in texture and well drained, then with a taproot, massive anchor roots will develop that penetrate to a depth of up to three meters. They, together with basal paws, are designed to ensure the stability of the crown and trunk of the tree.

Micro- and megastrobiles of Siberian cedar

The considered evergreen is a monoecious heterosexual plant (both female and male cones grow on the same tree). The Siberian cedar, the photo of which was shown earlier, is considered (pollination proceeds through the wind).

Female cones (megastrobils) appear near the apical bud at the tips of growth shoots at a time when their growth has already stopped, and male cones (microstrobils) appear near the base of the shoot.

The kidneys are conical in shape. They are 6 - 10 mm long, not resinous. Their scales are quite long and lanceolate (tapering upwards). Anther strobili on the axis have microsporophylls, which are larger at the base than at the apex, and female cones are covering scales that are located in the axils and consist of two ovules.

Pharmacological properties of Siberian cedar oil

Firstly, it normalizes the lipid spectrum of the blood. Secondly, Siberian cedar oil lowers cholesterol levels. Thirdly, it helps to get rid of extra pounds. This positive physiological effect is justified by the presence of terpenes in the oil.

Siberian cedar: planting and growing

It is recommended to plant it in a permanent place at about the age of six years, when it is already a two-meter seedling. If you take a younger specimen, then here the tree will most likely take root very painfully, and the more mature one may die.

The optimal solution is to take Siberian cedar seedlings from a special nursery where they were grown in compliance with all the necessary requirements for this. Preference is best given to young trees in containers where the root system is closed.

It is worth buying Siberian cedar seedlings with an earthen clod, which must be moistened and must not have bare roots. To prevent them from drying out, it is necessary to transport the trees as soon as possible to the immediate place of permanent planting.

Siberian cedar is planted taking into account the appropriate distance between trees (8 m). The size of the holes should always exceed (by 1/3) the volume of the existing root system, and it is recommended to cover their bottom with a substrate (a mixture of ash, peat, base soil and humus). The substrate should not be made much more fertile than the soil, since the root system of a young tree will not leave the boundaries of its hole for a very long time. This will lead to earthworms attract moles, which can cause significant damage to the root system of the cedar.

If seedlings are purchased in a container, then it is worth remembering that their root system is highly twisted. In this regard, it is impossible to plant Siberian cedar with an earthen clod. In this case, it is required to properly straighten and position the roots as freely as possible in the hole.

Seedlings must be fixed at the bottom of the planting pits so that the root collars are flush with the ground. Next, you need to fill the holes with a prepared substrate. Then the planting of the Siberian cedar ends with the procedure for compacting the soil and thoroughly watering it (about 4 liters of water for each seedling).

Features of agricultural technology of Siberian cedar

The specificity of its cultivation is expressed by the need to satisfy the need for such a substance as potassium, and control over the nitrogen content in the soil, the excess of which can significantly slow down the development of the tree's root system.

Siberian cedar, the description of which was described in detail earlier, is able to fully realize its existing biological potential, but only under the condition of normal illumination of the crown. Only young trees can tolerate shade without harm, since under natural growth conditions in the taiga, mature cedars are constantly in the sun, and young ones are in their shade. In this regard, all other trees located with them on the same site should always be lower than mature cedars.

Siberian cedar is characterized by an aerobic root system (its development requires constant access to oxygen), so it is necessary to ensure significant aeration of its soil through mulching (covering the soil with a protective layer). For this, leaf litter (leaf humus) is used, which helps to improve the mineral nutrition of the roots and protect them from such a type of basidiomycete fungi as the root sponge.

Abundant watering of Siberian cedars in dry times is a must. Also, in the evenings, constant spraying of the crowns of young trees should be ensured to improve the process of gas exchange.

What are the benefits of Siberian cedar seeds

You can often hear their unscientific name, especially in cooking - pine nuts. It is considered a very valuable food product. Pine nuts are usually consumed both raw and after heat treatment.

Their benefits are in valuable composition. Pine nuts contain a significant amount of phosphatide phosphorus, which is not found in any other nut or oil seed.

They are also a very rich source of lecithin (they are similar in content to soy).

What nutrients are in pine nuts

Seeds of Siberian cedar in a small amount (100 g) contain the daily requirement human body in such deficient trace elements as zinc, cobalt, manganese and copper, as well as a significant amount of iodine.

Pine nuts contain the following useful substances:

• starch (5.8%);
• dextrins (2.26%);
• glucose (2.83%);
• fiber (2.21%);
• sucrose (0.44%);
• fructose (0.25%);
• tocopherol (33%).

The protein is saturated with such deficient and essential amino acids that limit it biological value like tryptophan, methionine and lysine.

And its core includes:

• fats (55 - 66%);
• proteins, starch, sugar and vitamins (13.5 - 20%).

What is cedar resin

Its official name is Siberian cedar resin. Phytoncides included in it in a significant amount are widely used in traditional medicine. But official science did not stand aside in the process of studying its action. So, during the Great Patriotic War all doctors used cedar resin as a quick healing agent. Even gangrene could be stopped with her help. Subsequently, Siberian cedar oleoresin acquired the status of an effective drug.

It consists of turpentine (30%) and rosin (70%). Siberian cedar resin, the use of which is still relevant at the present time, is a highly effective therapeutic agent, since turpentine, cedar oil, camphor, and turpentine balsam are obtained from it.

Diseases that are treated with the resin of the conifer in question

Healers use resin to treat:

• skin damage;
• teeth and the entire oral cavity;
• bronchi and lungs;
• some types of cancer;
• musculoskeletal system;
• of cardio-vascular system;
• endocrine system;
• nervous system;
• gastrointestinal tract.

Applications of Siberian cedar resin in folk medicine

Resin is indispensable in the treatment of:

1. Various wounds. To do this, they are poured with Siberian cedar resin or resin is applied to the damaged area.
2. Fractures. In this case, the area of ​​​​damage is rubbed with resin, it contributes to the rapid fusion of bones.
3. Furuncles, ulcers and burns. First, the resin is softened, and then it is mixed with neutral oil or petroleum jelly. The resulting mixture is applied to a swab and applied to a sore spot.
4. Herpes (on his early stage). A cotton swab is moistened with a mixture of Siberian cedar resin and any vegetable oil in a ratio of 1: 1 and applied to the sore spot for 20-25 minutes. The procedure should be repeated after four hours.
5. Toothache. In this case, it is the resin of the Siberian cedar that helps very quickly. Its use as an anesthetic is very popular at the present time. To do this, you only need to attach the resin to the diseased tooth or gum.
6. Impotence. Cedar resin (1 teaspoon) is mixed with 0.5 liters of vodka. Then the resulting mixture should be infused for five days, always in a dark, cool place. The tincture must be shaken periodically. After the required period, it is used in three tablespoons exclusively during meals and preferably twice a day.

So, we can say that Siberian cedar resin, the use of which is very versatile, is effective as an anesthetic, antibacterial, and healing agent. Her medicinal properties unique and varied. It has found its application both in folk and scientific medicine. The list above is far from complete.

What other parts of the Siberian cedar have healing properties

Not only the resin of this coniferous tree is widely used for medicinal purposes, but also its needles, oil and shells of fresh pine nuts.

So, scurvy is treated with needles, and deafness, nervous disorders, kidney and liver diseases, hemorrhoids, and this decoction relieves excess hairiness with an infusion of fresh pine nut shells.

And nuts are a complete source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. For this purpose, its daily dose should be 20 ml. The oil helps lower cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, normalization of the lipid spectrum of the blood and reduction of excess body weight.

If pine nuts are crushed, then they can be used to inhibit gastric secretion (reducing gastric juice, reducing its acidity). Their small amount (100 g) can satisfy the daily need of the human body for the necessary vitamin E.

Also, confirmation was obtained of the preventive effect of cedar oil with regards to cardiovascular pathology, provided that it is added to diet food corresponding patients.

Siberian cedar as a unique building material

This tree is unpretentious in processing and has excellent thermal and waterproofing. In the construction aspect, the Siberian cedar, the photo of which was shown earlier, is similar to the pine. It is a natural antiseptic, so it does not tend to rot. Houses built from cedar are durable (hundreds of years), and the interiors are enriched with phytoncides. its resin and essential oil have a beneficial effect on the health of the owner of the house.

Mechanical and physical properties of Siberian cedar

The coniferous tree under consideration is a sound breed and has resin passages. As mentioned earlier, in terms of strength and physical properties it is close to pine. Siberian cedar has an easily processed and soft wood. It has a pleasant smell and resonant properties, which leads to its use as a material for the manufacture of guitars, harps and pianos.

The advantages of any breed are more pronounced in comparison with species with similar biological, ecological, decorative and other properties.

The Siberian cedar has such close and distant relatives. In Russia, Korean cedar and Siberian dwarf pine grow. The first is a tree. The second is a tall (up to 4 m) shrub. High in the mountains of Europe, including the Ukrainian Carpathians, the European tree cedar found shelter and refuge during the glaciation.

To the majority environmental factors these cedars do not make high demands. Being Siberians by origin, they are distinguished by excellent health and longevity, do not suffer from diseases that damage others forest species. But they differ significantly in cold resistance, the duration of the growing season and optimal temperatures required for vegetation.

Cedar pines are shade-tolerant, but grow better, earlier, more abundantly and regularly bear fruit in the light. AT young age they put up with shading for a long time, while sharply reducing growth, and they mature later. Trees grown in dense plantations begin to bear fruit from 50-80 years old, growing in open spaces with full illumination - from 15-25 years. Therefore, for normal physiological development and timely formation of the crop, they must be grown from an early age in the light.

European cedar(Pinus cembra L.) - the closest relative of the Siberian cedar, its younger "brother". Their hybridization resulted in interspecific hybrids. This species was formed as a result of long-term spatial isolation in the natural climatic conditions highlands Central Europe. Morphologically it is very close to the Siberian cedar. It differs from it in slow growth, lower tree height (10-25 m), narrower (1 mm) and short (5-8 cm) dark green, with weak blue needles, smaller cones and seeds. The needles remain on the tree for 6-8 years. Grows in relatively mild conditions continental climate, with low negative air temperatures in winter and high in summer, with its average annual value not exceeding 0 ° C, and can be content with a growing season of only 2.5 months.

The modern range of the species is located in the mountains of Central and Western Europe: in the middle and high mountains of the Carpathians, in the Tatras, in the Alpine mountains of France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, where the European cedar often forms the upper border of the forest in a wide range of altitudes, from 1200 to 2400 m above sea ​​level. It grows in large pure or mixed plantations with falling larch and European spruce.

Trees reach maturity in the open at 40-50 years old, in a plantation at 60-70 years old. Abundant harvests in the natural conditions of the highlands appear in 6-10 years. With the introduction in the Voronezh forest-steppe and in the Moscow region in individuals selected by Professor E.V. Titov (2004) - almost annually. The breed is durable. Individual trees live up to 1000 years.

Unlike Siberian cedar, European cedar is more drought-resistant. It is a xeromesophyte and therefore adapts better in areas with an arid climate.

It is widely introduced into culture in many European countries - from Western Ukraine to France, from Romania in the south to Norway and Sweden in the north. Cultivated various forms of this species: differing in the shape of the crown - columnar, prostrate, shrubby, in the color of the needles - bright green, golden, variegated-coniferous and others.

Korean cedar, or Manchurian(Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc) is more distant from the Siberian stone pine in origin. With controlled crosses, hybrids were not obtained between them, which indicates the genetic heterogeneity of these cedar pines. The species differ not only in the size and color of the cones, the shape and structure of the seeds, but also in the anatomy of the needles and the morphological features of the pollen.

This is a large straight-stemmed tree 35-40 m high and up to 2 m in diameter, with a powerful, often multi-peaked crown, with less dense foliation than that of the Siberian cedar. Most often, multi-top is formed as a result of breaking off the original top of large trees under the weight of a large number of large cones in years of abundant seed production and wind action.

The bark is pinkish-gray, thick, smooth at a young age, later fissured. Young shoots with dense reddish-rusty pubescence. The needles are trihedral, 10-20 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, hard, bluish-green.

The root system is superficial, well developed, with mighty lateral roots. The best soils are fresh, light, deep loams underlain by gravel or sand. The rock is undemanding to ash substances. It does not tolerate excess moisture in the upper soil horizons, avoids cold and wet soils with poor aeration, although it tolerates flowing moisture. Little sensitive to spring and autumn droughts in areas of its natural range.

When young, cedar grows more slowly in shading conditions. hardwood but faster spruce or fir. With age, increases the growth in height and diameter, keeping it as a long-lived breed, Until old age. Some trees grow 500 years or more.

Forms the largest cones among all our cedar pines 10-15 cm long, 5-10 cm wide, with apophyses of seed scales bent outwards. The seeds are twice as large as those of the Siberian cedar, but with a thicker shell. Good harvests are observed every 3-4 years.

Occupies habitats from average annual temperature air is slightly above 0°C, with a small amplitude of fluctuations during the year. Differs in comparative cold resistance. Distributed to Far East, in the mountains of Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, on the island of Honshu in Japan, in areas with high humidity air.

It is of interest for green building and the creation of forest plantations in the forest zone. Cultivated in Moscow, Leningrad, Voronezh regions, in Bashkiria.

Cedar elfin(Pinus pumila Regel) is also not a close relative of the Siberian pine. Their ranges usually do not match. Only in small areas in the Baikal region and in Southwestern Yakutia do they overlap, but the species most often grow in different ecological niches, i.e., they are ecologically isolated. The question of the possibility of natural hybridization between them remains controversial.

Occupies vast territories in Eastern Siberia and the Far East from Baikal to the ridge Kuril Islands. It is found in China, Mongolia, North Korea and Japan (Honshu Island).

This is an evergreen coniferous, strongly branched, creeping tree-like shrub or small tree, from 3 to 7 m tall. The trunks lie on the ground, and the tops rise by 2-3 m. In contact with the ground, the trunks and branches form adventitious roots, thanks to which they receive additional nutrients from the soil. The length of creeping trunks at the age of 220-280 years can reach 17 m, and the thickness - 25 cm.

Important ecological feature dwarf pine is the ability to bend branches to the ground and lie down on it after the onset of frost and the fall of a stable snow cover. They hibernate under snow in the most severe climatic conditions. With the onset of positive daytime temperatures, the branches rise. This adaptive property of the northerner is firmly preserved even in more comfortable conditions of introduction. In the Lipetsk region, at the forest-steppe experimental-breeding station of Siberian pine, elfin lies on the ground when the temperature is -25 ... -30 ° С.

Needles in bunches of 5 needles, bluish-green, hard, trihedral, 4-8 cm long. Tightly pressed to the shoots, kept on the branches for 2-4 years.

Cedar dwarf grows slowly. It is undemanding to the soil: it grows on sands, sandy loams, on slopes and gravelly soils.

Usually forms a superficial root system, on deep fresh soils - deep.

Propagated by seeds carried by nutcrackers and other representatives of the fauna, as well as layering. Forms adventitious roots, especially on moss substrate.

Seed production begins at the age of 22-30, earlier - in favorable soil and climatic conditions. Weak harvests appear almost annually, plentiful - every 2-3 years. The cones are small, cylindrical, 4-5 cm long, 2-3 cm wide. They contain 35-40 small edible seeds (nuts).

Siberian dwarf pine is of interest for strengthening slopes and sands in moisture-provided areas, for creating "alpine gardens" and group plantings in gardens and parks.