Resinous tree: Maritime pine

1996/03/01 Terés, Joxepo Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Botanika

Most of the plants classified within this family are often planted, so you won't be surprised that they are the source of most commercial wood. In general they are trees, although sometimes they are shrubs. Its leaves are spirally or in bundles and are mononic and resinous plants. Inflorescences are usually cones.

The male cones last very little time in the tree and the female cones are typical wooden cones. Within this family, 10 genera and about 250 species are classified. In both the peninsula and the Basque Country there are 6 genera: 2 of them are their own (genera Abies and Pinus) and the rest are cultivated or naturalized (genera Pseudotsuga, Picea, Larix and Cedrus).

As for the genus Pinus, the species of this genus are perennial trees. Its leaves are very narrow and needle-shaped, forming batches of 2, 3 or 5. Only 4 species and hybrids (Pinus pinaster, P. sylvestris, P. uncinata, P. halapnensis, and P. x rhaetica) are allowed as originals. However, it is very difficult to specify well the natural distribution of many species of this genus, which have been planted or naturalized for a long time.

The maritime pine is a tree of 25-30 meters, but in good condition can reach 40 meters. The trunk is straight and the dark gray skin of young sour with age. The leaves are needle-shaped, dark green, very long (up to 25 cm), with pointed ends and joined by pairs.

Male cones are yellow-orange and reddish females. The pineapples are brown-reddish, long (up to 20 cm) and bright. Seeds, fins and blackish. The maritime pine blooms between March and May and the pineapples ripen in the autumn of the following year. Pine nuts are not dispersed until the spring of the third year.

It is a tree of the Mediterranean and western region of the Atlantic region, but since it has been planted for a long time, it is very difficult to determine what are the natural populations. In the Basque Country it inhabits sandy lands of the southwest of Alava, especially in protected ravines. Maritime pine is a fast growing tree, lover of siliceous, non-compact and sandy soils. He is also the best friend of light. It is colonizer after the fires. Its wood is very resinous and although it is not of great quality, it is used in carpentry. On the other hand, the distillation of the resin called turpentine that it generates gives rise to aguarrás and colophonia, so it is used in the chemical and perfumery industry. It is also used as a medicinal, balsamic and antiseptic plant.

Family: pinaceae Species: Distribution: Siliceous soils in the area Habitat: temperate Medicinal grass: yes