The great pine tree at Gökalv

One of the biggest pine trees in Blekinge - an impressive 336 cm in circumference - stands here on the Gökalv headland, about 50 metres west of the beach.

The trees were called pinus in Latin and the name was used in Rome, but comes from the Greek, where the word was probably derived from a word in Sanskrit.

In Swedish the trees have been called tall since 1618 but it is harder to know where that comes from. Another Swedish name for the tree is fura, but this was first used for wood from coniferous trees, and in southern Sweden furor started to be used in the nineteenth century. It might have some connection with the word fir in English and fichte in German.

New shoots can be eaten in May and June and are rich in vitamin C. The inner bark used to also be used to make bark bread.