Aleppo pine

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MFA# 77.1

Aleppo pine tree

Description

A thin evergreen tree, Pinus halepensis, native to Syria and Palestine that is very resistant to heat and drought. The Aleppo pine produces a resinous wood that is fairly strong. In ancient Egypt, it was used for boats, weapons, general construction and coffins (Gale et al 2000). The resin is used to flavor retsina, a Greek wine.

Resources and Citations

Pinus halepensis; pin d'Alep (Fr.); pinho-de-Alepo (Fr.); Pino d'Aleppo (It.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Medium size tree (15-25m) with trunk diameter to 60 cm
• Thick bark is a dark orange-red with deep fissures
• Needle-like leaves are 6-12 cm long and produced in pairs
• Cones are narrow ( 2-3 cm), long (5-12 cm), and ripen when 24 months old

Additional Information

• R.Gale, P.Gasson, N.Hepper, G.Killen, "Wood" in Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, P.Nicholson, I.Shaw (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2000, p. 334-371.

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_halepensis (accessed April 2020)