Pinus brutia var. eldarica Eldar pine

A two-needled pine closely related to Aleppo pine (P. halepensis), but generally with longer, darker, stiffer needles. Its somewhat larger cones – visible in the canopy for much of the year – project outward or forward along the branches, whereas those of the Aleppo point backward as they mature. Eldar pine also tends to be a more upright tree with a denser and more regular canopy.

Once you learn to recognize it thus, you may see it in many places on campus. Several are in and around the parking lot at Jerry. One in the inner east courtyard of Schwab Residential Center rises above the four stories of the building. Another just south of Schwab is tucked away in the corner the building makes with Vidalakis Dining.

Other varieties of the species, such as P. brutia var. brutia, are rare in California outside botanical gardens. Eldar pine is often treated as its own species, P. eldarica, and is named for the Eldar area of Azerbaijan, where it grows naturally. The name Afghan pine reflects much American stock introduced in the 1960s being from Afghan seed sources. Its tolerance of heat and drought has also made it of interest in the arid Southwest, where it has been grown both as a landscape tree and as a Christmas-tree crop.