Canary Island Pine
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| iCanary Island Pine | ||||||||||||||||
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 Canary Island Pines in Caldera de Taburiente, La Palma
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| Pinus canariensis C.Sm. |
The Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis) is a species in the genus Pinus, family Pinaceae, native to the outer Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Gomera, Hierro, La Palma) in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a subtropical pine and does not tolerate low temperatures or hard frost, surviving temperatures down to about −6 to −10 °C.
It is a large evergreen tree, growing to 30-45 m tall and 1.5 m trunk diameter, exceptionally up to 60 m tall and 2.5 m diameter. The green to yellow-green leaves are needle-like, in bundles of three, 15-30 cm long, with finely toothed margins and often drooping. A characteristic of the species is the occurrence of glaucous (bluish-green) epicormic shoots growing from the lower trunk. The cones are 10-23 cm long, glossy chestnut-brown in colour. Its closest relatives are the Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) from the Himalaya, and Turkish Pine from the eastern Mediterranean.
The native range has been somewhat reduced due to over-cutting so that only the islands of Tenerife and La Palma still have large forests. It is the tallest tree in the Canary Islands.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
The aromatic wood is among the finest of pine woods - hard, strong and durable. It is also popular as an ornamental tree in warm climates. In South Africa and Australia, this has become naturalized from landscape use.
 trunk |
 Epicormic shoots |
 Mature opened female cone |
 Figure on timber |
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[edit] References
- Farjon (2003). Pinus canariensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
