Pinus gerardiana

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinus gerardiana
Pinus gerardiana in the Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio

Pinus gerardiana in the Franklin Park Conservatory , Columbus, Ohio

Systematics
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Pine family (Pinaceae)
Subfamily : Pinoideae
Genre : Pine ( Pinus )
Subgenus : Strobus
Type : Pinus gerardiana
Scientific name
Pinus gerardiana
Wall. ex D.Don

Pinus gerardiana is a medium-sized, evergreen conifer from the genus of pine ( Pinus ) with needles that grow in groups of three and are 5 to 10 centimeters long. The seed cones reach a length of 12 to 20 centimeters. The trunk bark dissolves in irregular scales. The natural range is in the west of the Himalayas, in Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan. The species is classified as low endangered inthe IUCN Red List . The large, oil-rich and edible seeds are of particular economic importance.

description

Appearance

Pinus gerardiana grows as an evergreen tree , up to 25 meters but usually only 15 to 18 meters high. The trunk reaches a breast height diameter of 80 to 100 centimeters and usually branches close to the ground or the species grows with multiple stems. The trunk bark is smooth, hard and peels off in irregular, thin scales that expose light spots that turn from yellow-green or pale green to white-gray, thus forming a multicolored pattern on larger branches and a gray-white pattern on the trunk. The bark on the lower part of the trunk can be rough and cracked on older trees. The main branches are long and spread out or ascending and form a conical crown in young trees and a very broad, open crown in older trees. Needle branches are thin or thick, smooth, hairless and yellowish green to olive green.

Buds and needles

The vegetative buds are egg-shaped, reddish brown and not resinous. The needles grow in threes in a 1 to 2 centimeter long, basal needle sheath, the scales of which fall off after two years. The needles stay on the tree for two to three years. They are gray-green or dark green, straight or curved, stiff and spreading, 5 to 10 centimeters long, thin with a triangular-fan-shaped cross section and a diameter of about 1 millimeter. There are stomata lines on the two adaxial needle sides . Four to seven large resin channels are formed.

Cones and seeds

The pollen cones grow spirally arranged in groups at the base of young shoots. They are yellowish brown, oval-cylindrical and 7.5 to 15 millimeters long. The seed cones grow individually, sitting or with short stems on the sides of young shoots. They are open oblong-ovoid with a more or less flattened base, 12 to 20 rarely to 23 inches long and 8 to 11 rarely to 13 inches wide. They remain on the tree for two to three years after they have ripened. The 75 to 90 seed scales are thick, woody, stiff, 3.5 to 5 inches long and 2 to 2.5 inches wide in the center of the cone, and open wide. They are initially green, when ripe they are light reddish brown. On the adaxial side there are two deep cavities that contain the seeds. The apophysis is pronounced, bent back and grooved lengthways. The tip of the scales near the base of the cone is sharply curved. The umbo lies dorsally and forms a bent-back hook with a blunt tip.

The seeds are black, asymmetrical, ovate-oblong to more or less cylindrical, large with a length of 20 to 25 millimeters and 8 to 12 millimeters wide. The seed wing is only weakly developed and remains on the seed scale.

illustration

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

Distribution, ecology and endangerment

The natural range of Pinus gerardiana is in the western Himalayas , in the northeast of Afghanistan, in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region , in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh as well as in the north of Pakistan.

Pinus gerardiana grows in the mountains at altitudes of 2000 to 3350 meters. The distribution area in the Himalayas is thus limited to the valley floors between the high peaks, which separates the individual populations from one another. The distribution area is assigned to winter hardiness zone 8 with mean annual minimum temperatures between −12.2 and −6.7 ° Celsius (10 to 20 ° Fahrenheit ). In the area of ​​distribution there is no pronounced monsoon and the annual amount of precipitation is usually less than 1000 millimeters, which mostly falls in the form of snow. The species prefers dry, sunny slopes with more or less open vegetation, where it can be found together with other conifers such as the Himalayan cedar ( Cedrus deodara ) and the Persian juniper ( Juniperus polycarpos ) and deciduous trees. As with other pines with wingless seeds, the seeds are spread by birds such as the Himalayan moth ( Nucifraga multipunctata ).

In the Red List of the IUCN is Pinus gerardiana due to the continuous decline in stocks at risk as low ( "Near Threatened") classified. The decrease is estimated at around 30 percent. Due to the very fragmented distribution area, the total still populated area is estimated to be less than 2000 square kilometers, which is divided into more than ten areas. The main threat is the conversion of forest areas into agricultural cultivation areas, which further exacerbates the fragmentation. Overgrazing and harvesting the cones prevent the natural regeneration of the stands. In addition, the trees are felled and used as firewood, which makes the situation even worse. There are plantations in Afghanistan to extract the edible seeds. Protected zones have been established in several parts of the distribution area, but this does not prevent the further decline of the population.

Systematics and research history

Pinus gerardiana is a species from the genus of pines ( Pinus ), in which it is assigned to the subgenus Strobus , section Quinquefoliae and with two other species to the subsection Gerardianae . The species was by David Don , 1832 Description of the genus Pinus first scientifically valid described . The previous description by Nathaniel Wallich did not meet the requirements of an initial description. The generic name Pinus was already used by the Romans for several types of pine. The specific epithet gerardiana honors the Scottish explorer Alexander Gerard (1792-1839), who found the species in 1821 while exploring the Koonawur district with the Bengal Native Infantry and showed Nathaniel Wallich in Calcutta .

Synonyms of the species are Pinus aucklandii  Lodd. ex Gordon , Pinus chilghoza  Knight , Pinus gerardii  J.Forbes and Pinus neosa  Gouan ex WHBaxter .

The bark and needles of Pinus gerardiana are similar to those of the Bunges pine ( Pinus bungeana ), but it has larger and differently shaped cones and seeds.

use

The edible and oil-rich seeds have the greatest economic importance. They are harvested by cutting the cones from the trees in autumn and early winter. The seeds are sold in markets in the plains of northern India. Trees that no longer produce enough seeds are felled and processed into firewood. The wood is also used locally as lumber and for carpentry work. The species is seldom planted as an ornamental plant, although the bark is similar to that of Bunge's pine, but less colorful.

swell

literature

  • Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers . tape 2 . Brill, Leiden-Boston 2010, ISBN 90-04-17718-3 , pp. 677-678 .
  • James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World. The Complete Reference . Timber Press, Portland, OR / London 2009, ISBN 978-0-88192-974-4 , pp. 432-433 .
  • Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . Volume 4: Cycadaceae through Fagaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 1999, ISBN 0-915279-70-3 , pp. 22 (English).
  • Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 , p. 487 (reprint from 1996).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 2, p. 677
  2. ↑ a b c d e James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World , p. 432
  3. ^ Liguo Fu, Nan Li, Thomas S. Elias, Robert R. Mill: Pinus gerardiana , in Flora of China , Volume 4, p. 22
  4. ^ Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 2, pp. 677-678
  5. ↑ a b c d Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 2, p. 678
  6. ↑ Illustration from Dietrich Brandis : Forest Flora of North-West and Central India , 1874 ( online )
  7. ^ Tropicos. [1]
  8. ↑ a b c d James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World , p. 433
  9. ↑ Pinus gerardiana in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
  10. ↑ a b c Christopher J. Earle: Pinus gerardiana. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 27, 2012, accessed on July 26, 2013 .
  11. ↑ Pinus gerardiana in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2013. Posted by: A. Farjon, 2011. Accessed July 26, 2013.
  12. ↑ Pinus gerardiana. In: The International Plant Name Index. Retrieved July 26, 2013 .
  13. ↑ Exactly: Etymological Dictionary of Botanical Plant Names , p. 487
  14. ↑ Pinus gerardiana. In: The Plant List. Retrieved July 26, 2013 .

Web links

Commons : Pinus gerardiana  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Pinus gerardiana at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed July 26, 2013.