Chinese White Pine
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| Pinus armandii Franch. |
The Chinese White Pine (Pinus armandii; family Pinaceae) is a species of pine native to China, occurring from southern Shanxi west to southern Gansu and south to Yunnan, with outlying populations in Anhui and Taiwan; it also extends a short distance into northern Myanmar. It grows at 1,000-3,300 m altitude, with the lower altitudes mainly in the northern part of the range. It is tree reaching 25-40 m height, and 1.5 m trunk diameter.
It is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves ('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 8-20 cm long. The cones are 9-22 cm long and 6-8 cm broad, with stout, thick scales. The seeds are large, 10-16 mm long and have only a vestigial wing; they are dispersed by Spotted Nutcrackers.
The species has three varieties:
- Pinus armandii var. armandii. All the range except for the populations below.
- Pinus armandii var. dabeshanensis. The Dabie Shan mountains on the Anhui-Hubei border.
- Pinus armandii var. mastersiana. Mountains of central Taiwan.
The varieties dabeshanensis and mastersiana are both listed as endangered.
Chinese White Pine has also been reported in the past from Hainan off the south coast of China, and two islands off southern Japan, but these pines differ in a number of features and are now treated as distinct species, Hainan White Pine Pinus fenzeliana and Yakushima White Pine Pinus amamiana respectively.
Chinese White Pine seeds are harvested and sold as pine nuts, and the wood is used for general building purposes; the species is important in forestry plantations in some parts of China. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens in Europe and North America. The scientific name commemorates the French missionary and naturalist Armand David, who first introduced it to Europe.
[edit] References
- Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Pinus armandii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
