The flora of Périgord in South-West France is abundant and diverse. In this blog you can find, in pictures, brief encounters with several hundreds of wild flowers and plants as they grow here in French Perigord. Following the seasons other species are added. An index of scientific and English names you find below on the right.

Corine Oosterlee is a botanist and photographer and she offers guided Botanical Walks and other activities around plants and vegetation in nature in Perigord. Do you want to know more? On www.baladebotanique.fr you can find more information. For Corine's photography see www.corineoosterlee.com. Both websites also in English.

Enjoy!




January 3, 2011

Maritime Pine


In the Landes region they grow in millions, for industrial use, in monoculture. But in Dordogne they mostly grow together with other species. You'll find the Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) with deciduous trees like chestnuts and oaks, wherever the soil is not too calcareous.



Its long slightly curved trunk mostly has no branches until the crown high up.

















In young trees the bark is grey, but later on it is more colored, going from reddish to purplish blue, with deep crevices between the scales.
















Everything on this tree is big, not only the trunk. The needles are long, more than 10 cm, and the cones are at least as big as your hand. The scales are closed in wet weather, but when it is dry they open so the winged seeds can disperse.