The Biosphere Blog

Unfortunately their own site just adds to the confusion!
https://www.awm.gov.au/shop/lone-pine-seedlings

They state that the Aleppo pine is the Lone Pine, and also sell trees descended from the cones brought back by Benjamin Smith from branches on the Turkish trenches (Aleppo), not trees descended from the cone collected by Thomas Keith McDowell from the remains of the Lone Pine itself (Turkish).

Fair enough! Query just then sent in writing and if I hear anything I’ll be sure to let everyone know!

Do you think the Australian War Memorial Canberra would have any knowledge on the topic?

I still reckon you should give it a go.

Because unfortunately, as well-meaning as they may be I will never have confidence in the answer.

The tree was planted circa 1965 and the plaque’s ambiguity itself implies unreliable records of the time.

Also to confuse things more (!) Pinus brutia was once and apparently is still considered by some as a subspecies of Pinus halepensis, which just complicates naming matters further!

More complications again (!) is that the two are also regarded as a species complex, which means they are very hard to distinguish from each other. Knowing that will just make me question any answer I would receive - especially if the staff don’t know of that fact themselves.

I hope that helps?

Why not refer this to the Wollongong Botanic Gardens and ask for a determination?

Thanks! And so cool to have seen one in your travels! 

But I so wish the naming confusion could be sorted for once and for all.

Because of the confusing sign at the botanic garden, I truly don’t know if the one there is Pinus brutia (THE Lone Pine, or Turkish Pine) or Pinus halepensis (Aleppo Pine).

And ditto the tree in Victoria! The article states at top the Lone Pine is Pinus brutia, and yet goes on to say the planted tree is an Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) and a descendent of the Lone Pine, as does the accompanying photo of the plaque.

Oh well! They’re beautiful trees regardless, and I find it somewhat fitting that they look a lot like Aussie gums from a distance.

Great read, very informative. Caught my eye as we visited an Aleppo Pine recently on a return trip from Victoria at Bemm River.  Found it online https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/110339-aleppo-pine-

Thanks!

Lovely article and especially so as there is a strong and direct family connection through your great-grandfather.

LOL, that’s quite a flex there GG :)

Most impressive indeed, thanks for sharing!

What a lovely gift to the garden residents!  I’m not surprised it was snapped up, we see insects scouting for opportunities like this all the time on our verandah.  I made half a doz 4 years ago, they’re such a fantastic inclusion, we see predatory wasps returning with stunned caterpillars and larvae all day long!  It’s truly incredible how many insects benefit from these!  Nice work & good luck identifying!

Bee-lieve me Sandra, hotel-ya that was bee-loomin’ awful!

But thank you! I’ll be watching the hotel itself for further developments - would so love to catch one of those cuties in the act - fingers crossed for updates!

Kristi

Hi Kristi,

Very exciting news regards the recent occupancy of your Bee Hotel! You must bee alated! I will watch this space for further developments :-)

Sandra.

Thanks! It’s always a compromise between writing something ten times longer explaining every technical detail, or keeping it brief with links for people to follow if interested.

An absolutely fascinating and excellently presented article; it has to be read more than once though to get around the long words!

Oh wow, that is absolutely incredible, thanks for sharing! I too was jamming multiples into pots, mainly as a space-saver, which is why the two survivors aren’t in the middle - the others around them had long given up the ghost.

What length cuttings did he use would you say please?

That’s not a bad idea at all, thanks! I’d certainly like to do a deep dive into the physiology going on at that level.

Amazing that’s so exciting! Well done.

I met a guy from Gumtree about 10 years ago & visited his place, he is retired & just sells plants, mainly jujube cuttings which he strikes by put tones of jujube cuttings bare into soil.

He said he sticks them in over autumn/winter without amendents/treating, I seen single pots with approx 20 cuttings.

He might of been somewhere past Penrith/Kingswood.

Maybe one to refer to the Royal Botanic Gardens for further comment?