Pinus radiate
commonly known as Monterey Pine also known as Radita Pine or Insignis Pine.
It’s a three-needled conifer with striking bright-green luxuriant foliage. It
is a native of a very limited area of wet winters and hot dry summers, the
Monterey Peninsula of southern California.
P. radiate is a
coniferous evergreen tree growing to 15 – 30 m (50 – 100 ft) in height, but
some time grows up to 60 m (200 ft).
The young shoots soon
become green. The winter buds are light brown, up to 2 cm long, sharply pointed
and resinous. The bright emerald green needles are slender, 10-15 cm long,
somewhat curved, usually in threes, but occasionally in pairs. They are bound
together at their base by a sheath consisting of membranous scales.
The flowers of both
sexes are found on the same tree. The male catkins are small, and yellow in
late March. The female flowers may be solitary or in small clusters. The cones
are asymmetrical, being flattened 7-13 cm long, glossy, woody and
greyish-brown. They are often in clusters of three to five and persist on the
trees for an indefinite time, usually not opening for several years.
The
bark of mature trees is dark brown, thick, and deeply fissured, peeling off in
broad scales. The coarse timber is inferior, is
used in house construction as weatherboards, posts, beams or plywood, in
fencing, retaining walls, for concrete formers. It is also used to a limited
extent in boat building where untreated ply is sometimes used, but must be
encased in epoxy resin to exclude moisture, boxes and paper pulp.
This pine has no
commercial future anywhere in Britain but in South Africa, Australia, New
Zealand and Spain it is cultivated on an extensive scale, making phenomenally
fast growth.
Pinus nigra maritima commonly known as Corsican Pine is
native to North America and Europe. It is fast-growing and lightly branched
conifer. It is moderately fast growing tree, at about 30-70 cm (12-28 inch) per year.Also it is a large evergreen tree, growing to 20-55 meters (66-180 ft) high at maturity and spreading to 6-12 (20-40 ft) wide. The young twigs are yellowish-brown and ridged. Later they become much
roughened by the persistent needle bases. The light brown, resinous buds are up
to 2.5 cm long, and are broad at their base, suddenly tapering to a sharp
point. The young shoots stand upright in May and June like white-green candles.
The needles are grayish-green or sage-green, 8-13 cm long, in pairs, bound
together at their base by a grey sheath consisting of membranous scales. They
are often twisted and are stout and densely arranged on the shoots.
The flowers of both sexes are found on the same tree. The
male catkin-like flowers lie at the base of the young shoot and are yellow at
the time of pollination. The red females at the tips of new shoots are minute
cone-lets which later expand to asymmetrical cones 3-5 cm in length, becoming
shiny, hard and mid-brown; the raised portion of each scale (the umbo) bears a
knob. The cones open in the spring or summer of the second year after
fertilization and release winged seeds.
The rough, grayish to dark brown bark is fissure and flakes
off. The branches are whorled, often at wide intervals. The wood is resinous
and has reddish heartwood surrounded by pale brown sapwood. It is adjudged to
be inferior to that of Scots Pine, but can be used for similar purposes. Though
not naturally durable, it takes preservative well.
Silviculturists know the tree as a wind-farm, fast grower
and heavy volume producer in Europe. It is one of the most productive species
on the sandy soils in the north-west Europe. Only strains Corsica are
recommended today.
Austrian Pine, P. nigra Arnold, has a more coarse, rugged,
less straight appearance than Corsican Pine. Its timber is coarse, knotty and
usually valueless, but as the tree is hardy and wind-firm it is useful as a
shelter belt, especially along the coast. The Corsican Pine is also planted as a street tree, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and parks in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and many more countries.
