Pinus nigra 'Helen' is a dwarf, irregularly globose selection of Austrian pine with dense branching and shorter-than-typical, dark green needles with distinctive white foliar buds. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 3 feet (90 cm) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).
[ Humphrey Welch and Gordon Haddow in The World Checklist of Conifers ] Very slow-growing dwarf upright form; short, fresh-green needles and contrasting white buds.
This cultivar originated as a witch's broom found in the mid-1960s in a 60-year-old plantation of Pinus nigra var. nigra by Dr. Hans Simon, Marktheidenfeld Germany, who named the plant in honor of his wife.
