The Balkan pine (lat. Pinus peuce) is a conifer of rare beauty that is endemic to the southern Balkan peninsula. In Greece, it grows in Thrace and the mountains of Xanthi, at altitudes up to 1,700 meters. It usually reaches a height of 30-35 meters. 

Its Greek name "pentavelono pefko" (five-needle pine) reflects the fact that its needle-like leaves grow in fascicles (bundles) of five in contrast to all other species of pine in the area, in which the needles appear in bundles of two. Moreover, a distinguishing feature of the species is its cone which has an oval (or almost cylindrical) shape and is slightly convex, rendering thus the identification of the species easy.

The Hellenic Botanical Society