Wonderful Botanical Pine Cone Drawings In The Public Domain

Whenever I go for a walk in the woods I can’t help pocketing a few pine cones from the forest floor.  I just love a pine cone and I thought it would be fun to curate a collection of wonderful botanical pine cone drawings and prints.

Pine cones are very common and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  They have been traditionally collected and used in arts and crafts.  For example with seasonal wreaths and decorations.  I myself have made a painted Valentine’s pine cone flower heart and used them to decorate fall Mason Jars.

I’ve already posted a collection of woodland botanical leaf prints which you might also like to check out.

Pine trees are closely associated with Christmas as they are used for Christmas trees to decorate our homes. Other plants are also associated with Christmas such as poinsettias and holly, there are more vintage Christmas flower prints here.

Fun Facts About Pine Cones

• Pine cones are the reproductive parts of pine trees. There are both male and female pine cones. Members of the pine family include pines, spruces, firs, cedars, conifers, and larches.
• All these trees have pine cones that imbricate (that is, with scales overlapping each other like fish scales).
• Male pine cones are soft and small.  Pine cones that you find on the ground are female pine cones that have completed their reproductive process.
• The female cones grow for a few years while the seeds mature, then they open up to let the wind distribute the seeds.
• The name “cone” derives from the fact that the shape in some species resembles a geometric cone. The individual plates of a cone are known as scales.
• Pine cones are open when dry but close up when wet. This is to help with the dissemination of seeds. However, forestry workers use this as an indication of fire risks. Open pine cones on the forest floor indicate that it is dry.
• Pine cones have also been used in some climates to predict dry and wet weather. By using a hanging pine cone from a string outside to measure air humidity.

The Vintage Pine Cone Drawings and Illustrations

Click on the title above the pine cone drawing you would like. A higher resolution image should open as a new window in your browser.

If you right-click with your mouse over the image, you will have the option to save the image to your device.

All these vintage pine cone drawings are in the Public Domain so you are free to use them as you wish.

1. Pinus Elliottii

This wonderful illustration of pine cones is from “Revision of the genus Pinus, and description of Pinus Elliottii”.by Dr. George Engelmann (1880).

This pine cone is more commonly known as slash pine or swamp pine from a  conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States.  Slash pine is cultivated for its timber, turpentine, and resin. 

The next Pine Cone Drawings, 2-6, are all from “A description of the genus Pinus: illustrated with figures, directions relative to the cultivation, and remarks on the uses of the several species” (1803) by Aylmer Bourke Lambert.

2. Pinus Pinea

More commonly known as the stone pine. The pine cones are native to the  Mediterranean region. They are cultivated for their edible pine nuts and also used as ornamental trees, planted in gardens and parks around the world. 

3. Pinus Maritima Pine Cone Drawing

This is another Mediterranean pine cone, also more commonly called the maritime pine or cluster pine.

4. Pinus Cembra

The pine cones in this illustration are from a very slow-growing pine tree also known as the Swiss pine. The pine tree is found in the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains of central Europe. The trees are known to live between 500-1000 years.

5. Pinus Orientalis

This pine cone illustration is actually from a large spruce tree called the oriental spruce or Caucasian Spruce which was originally from Northern Iran.

It is a popular ornamental tree in large gardens, valued in northern Europe and the USA for its attractive foliage and ability to grow on a wide range of soils. It is also grown to a small extent in forestry for Christmas trees, timber, and paper production.

6. Pinus Larix

The tree this pine cone grows on is a larch known as the American Larch. It is native to Canada.

7. Pinus Armandii

This is also known as the Chinese white pine and is native to China. The pine cone painting is from Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, (1910).

8. Pinus Rubra – Pinecone Illustrations

More commonly known as the Red Pine or Norway Pine. Which is a bit confusing as it is a North American pine tree.

The tree is the state tree of Minnesota. In Minnesota, the use of the name “Norway” may stem from early Scandinavian immigrants who likened the red pines to forests back home.

9. Pinus Rigida

More commonly known as Pitch pine. It got its name as in the past it was a major source of pitch and timber for shipbuilding, mine timbers, and railroad ties because the wood’s high resin content preserves it from decay.

10. Cuban Pine

Cuban pine is a pine endemic to the eastern highlands of the island of Cuba.

11. Pinus Flexilis

This black and white drawing of a pine cone is from “The pine trees of the Rocky Mountain region (1917)” by Sudworth.

The tree is also called Rocky Mountain white pine. One of these pines in Oregon is documented as being over 2000 years old.

12. Pinus Halepensis

One of the beautiful illustrations from the Dictionnaire Universel d’histoire Naturelle. There is also a collection of animal pints from the same encyclopedia on Pictureboxblue.

This is another Mediterranean pine known as the Aleppo pine. The resin of the Aleppo pine is used to flavor the Greek wine retsina.

13. Pinus Monticola

This is a wonderful black and white drawing of a pine cone form the Californian Mountain Pine, which grows in the mountains of Western United States.

It is the state tree of Idaho, and is sometimes known as the Idaho pine.

14. Pinus Nigra

Black pine or Austrian pine. In the United Kingdom, Pinus nigra is important both as a timber tree and in plantations. It is often planted as an ornamental and street tree.

15. Pinus Palustris Pine Cone

This is a wonderful drawing of an open pine cone, the Pinus Palustris. Also known as the Longleaf pine, it is native to the Southeastern United States and is the state tree of Alabama.

16. Pinus Strobus

Known as the White pine and native to the North America.

Old white pines are treasured in the United States. An American National Natural Landmark, Cook Forest State Park, contains the tallest known tree in the northeastern United States, a white pine named Longfellow Pine.

17. Pinus Sylvestris

Scots pine is a species of pine that is native to Eurasia. The Scots pine formed much of the Caledonian Forest, which once covered much of the Scottish Highlands.

18. Three Pine Cone Illustrations

Pinus Serotina – the pond pine

Pinus Taeda – Loblolly pine

Pinus Australis – another name for the Long leaf pine.

19. Multi Pine Cone Print

A collection of pine cones in a vintage plant art print from Martin Gerlach’s “Die Pflanze in Kunst und Gewerbe“ 1886.

I hope you enjoyed these wonderful vintage pine cone drawings and illustrations. Along with acorns, there are a few more pine cone prints to be found in this collection of woodland botanical prints. You may also really enjoy these colorful fall leaves illustrations and charts.

Don’t forget to take a look at the full range of vintage botanical images on Pictureboxblue.