Pines of Huangshan

The pine of Huangshan is a variety of Chinese pine created by the special environment of the mountain. The fantastic forms of Yellow Mountain pines have a lot to do with the natural environment. The rugged terrain with a host of cliffs and crags makes it very difficult for pines to grow straight, so they have to twist, bend or sometimes even stretch downwards. These graceful but sturdy pines have to fight very hard for their existence. There being little soil on the peaks, they have to strike roots deep into crevices to draw water and nourishment. The roots are often several times the length of the trunk, and they are able to absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from granite. With such deep roots, they stand firm on the rocks, braving wind and snow and remaining evergreen. Pines grow on high altitudes from 800 meters above sea level upwards, 500-17,500 meters on northern slopes and at 1,000-1,600 meters on southern slopes. The most notable Yellow Mountains pines are: Yingkesong (Greeting Pine in front of Lion Stone at Jade Screen Tower), Songkesong (Farewell Pine to the right of Jade Screen Tower), Putuansong (Hassock Pine in Lotus Gully), Feng huangsong (Phoenix Pine in Heavenly Sea), Qipansong (Chessboard Pine at Pingtian Stone Bridge), Jieyinsong (Usher Pine on Beginning-to- Believe Peak), Qilinsong (Unicorn Pine, on the way from North Sea Guesthouse to Cool Terrace), Heihusong (Black Tiger Pine, on the way from North Sea Guesthouse to Beginning -to- Believe Peak), Tanhaisong or Wusong ( Probe-the- Sea or Dancer Pine by Crucian Carp's Back on Celestial Capital and Wolongsong (Recumbent Dragon Pine below Beginning-to- Believe Peak) . These are the ten most famous pines of Yellow Mountains. The fantastic forms of Yellow Mountain pines have a lot to do with the natural environment. The rugged terrain with a host of cliffs and crags makes it very difficult for pines to grow straight, so they have to twist, bend or sometimes even stretch downwards. In order to resist strong winds and withstand frost and ice, they usually grow a flat top with short, hardy needles forming a dark green mass, and their trunks and boughs are both tough and resilient. There is another peculiarity: swept by the wind, or attached by the sun, many pines branch out only on one side. These graceful but sturdy pines have to fight very hard for their existence. There being little soil on the peaks, they have to strike roots deep into crevices to draw water and nourishment. The roots are often several times the length of the trunk. And they are able to absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from granite. With such deep roots, they stand firm on the rocks, braving wind and snow and remaining evergreen.