Pinus brutia

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox

Pinus brutia, commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, with smaller populations occuring in Crete, Cyprus, Crimea, the western Caucasus, and Azerbaijan; it is also naturalised as far east as Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref name=":0" /> It is also known as East Mediterranean pine, Afghan pine, and Brutia pine. The name "Calabrian pine" comes from an introduced grove in the region of Calabria in southern Italy; historically this region was called Bruttium, which is likely where the specific epithet "brutia" comes from.<ref name=":0" /> Pinus brutia bears many similarities with other, closely related species such as Pinus halepensis and Pinus canariensis. Turkish pine forms a species complex with the former.<ref name=":4" />

Description

Pinus brutia is a medium-sized tree, reaching Template:Convert tall with a trunk diameter of up to Template:Convert, exceptionally Template:Convert. The young bark is thin and red-orange, maturing to grey-brown to orange, fissured to flaky in texture. The leaves are needle-like, slender, Template:Convert long, dark green to yellow-green.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The needles are in fascicles of two, or rarely three.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

The male cones are squat, Template:Convert long.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> The female cones are short, with rigid, woody scales, Template:Convert long, Template:Convert broad, maturing from green to red-orange; occasional specimens show similarities in cone structure to the related Pinus canariensis.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> They most often appear in whorls of 3 to 4, and mature in two years after pollination.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> The seeds are usually wind dispersed, dropping from the cones after they open, but some trees have been observed with cones that do not open enough to facilitate wind dispersal. The Krüper's nuthatch may assist these trees in dispersal.<ref name=":0" />

Taxonomy

The Italian botanist Michele Tenore described the species in 1811. While Tenore did not provide an explanation for the specific epithet, it was likely named after the historical region of Brut(t)ium, now Calabria, where an introduced population has become naturalised.<ref name=":0" />

Pinus brutia is closely related to Pinus halepensis, and female P. brutia cones have been shown to accept and hybridise with P. halepensis pollen. In the past it has been considered a variety or subspecies of P. halepensis.<ref name=":2" /> The species is now treated as distinct, and forms a species complex across the Mediterranean with P. halepensis.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Varieties

File:Эльдарская сосна - Pinus eldarica.jpg
P. brutia var. eldarica specimen cultivated in Baku, Azerbaijan.
  • Pinus brutia var. brutia: Typical form, with needles Template:Convert long. Found across the Eastern Mediterranean.<ref name=":3" />
  • Pinus brutia var. pityusa: Found in smaller stands along the eastern Black Sea coast, near Pitsunda, and on the south coast of Crimea. Very similar to var. brutia.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
  • Pinus brutia var. pendulifolia: Muğla, Turkey.<ref name=":3" /> Exceptionally long needles, to Template:Convert, that are pendulous similar to P. canariensis.<ref name=":0" />
  • Pinus brutia var. eldarica, Afghan Pine: native to Azerbaijan, and naturalised in Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref name=":0" /> Smaller cones, Template:Convert.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Often treated as a subspecies of P. brutia,<ref name=":0" /> or a species of its own.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Due to its tolerance of drought and poor soil, it is widely planted as an ornamental tree in southern Europe, Australia, South Africa, and the southwestern United States.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Distribution and habitat

File:Красивая сосна. Road Marmaris Datça Yolu. Emecik Köyü. Datça. Muğla. Турция. Июнь 2015 - panoramio.jpg
Old Pinus brutia near Datça, Turkey

The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but it also extends to southeasternmost Bulgaria,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the East Aegean Islands of Aegean Sea, Crete, Crimea, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, western Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus.<ref>Template:GRIN</ref> It generally occurs at low altitudes, mostly from sea level to Template:Convert in northern Turkey, up to Template:Convert in the south of its range.<ref name=":0" />

Ecology

Pinus brutia is a diagnostic species of the vegetation class Pinetea halepensis.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Krüper's nuthatch, a rare nuthatch, is largely restricted to forests of Turkish pine and depends heavily on it for feeding; the ranges of the two species are largely coincident.<ref name="Harrap">Template:Cite book</ref>

P. brutia is resistant to the Israeli pine bast scale insect Matsucoccus josephi and is a major host for Thaumetopoea caterpillars.

The species covers Template:Convert in Cyprus, roughly ~90% of all woodland coverage on the island.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It forms ectomycorrhizal associations with numerous species of fungi, and its logs and branches are excellent substrates for many kinds of decomposing organisms.

Uses

File:Караул-Оба, деревья, Крым, Karaul Oba, Crimea.jpg
Pinus brutia in Crimea, Ukraine

Honey

Turkish pine is host to a sap-sucking aphid Marchalina hellenica. Under normal circumstances, this insect does no significant damage to the pine, but is of great importance for the excess sugar it secretes. This sugar, "honeydew", is collected by honey bees which make it into a richly flavoured and valuable honey, "pine honey" (Turkish, çam balı), with reputed medicinal benefits.

Landmark

The "Lone Pine", a prominent landmark tree at an ANZAC First World War battle at Gallipoli, was this species. Cones from the battlefield were taken home to Australia, and plants sourced from the seeds were planted as living memorials.

"Lone Pine" memorials, based on cones brought back from Gallipoli, may use this species or Aleppo pine. Some memorials utilise other species altogether.<ref name=Wilcox>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Forestry

It is widely planted for timber, both in its native area (it is the most important tree in forestry in Turkey and Cyprus) and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region east to Pakistan. The timber is used for many purposes including carpentry, industry, general constructions, firewood and pulp.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In Israel it is sometimes preferred to the more widely-used Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) because of its resistance to Matsucoccus josephi. It is also known for being well suited to recreational sites.

Cultivation

Pinus brutia is a popular ornamental tree, extensively planted in parks and gardens in hot dry areas (such as southern California, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada, as well as throughout Arizona and central Texas in the United States), where its considerable heat and drought tolerance is highly valued. The subspecies eldarica is the most drought tolerant form, used in Afghanistan, Iran and more recently in the Southwestern United States. In this region, P. brutia subsp. eldarica is referred to as "Eldarica pine", "Afghan pine" or "Mondell pine" (after Mondell Bennett, a commercial tree grower in New Mexico who popularised the species starting in 1969).<ref name="Widmoyer">Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Pinus_brutia&oldid=364621"