# Pinus canariensis > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinus_canariensis > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinus_canariensis.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_canariensis > Source revision: 1351437481 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Species of conifer in the family Pinaceae}} {{Use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ly|date=July 2023}} {{Speciesbox | name = ''Pinus canariensis''
Canary Island pine | image_upright = 1.1 | image_caption = Canary Island pines in Caldera de Taburiente, [La Palma](/source/La_Palma) | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref ={{cite iucn |author=Thomas, P. |date=2017 |title=''Pinus canariensis'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T39603A84061236 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T39603A84061236.en |access-date=2021-11-19}} | image = Caldera de Taburiente La Palma.jpg | display_parents = 3 | genus = Pinus | parent = Pinus subsect. Pinaster | species = canariensis | authority = [C.Sm.](/source/Christen_Smith) ex [D.C.](/source/Augustin_Pyramus_de_Candolle) }} '''''Pinus canariensis''''', the '''Canary Island pine''', is a species of [gymnosperm](/source/gymnosperm) in the [conifer](/source/Pinophyta) family [Pinaceae](/source/Pinaceae). It is a large, [evergreen](/source/evergreen) tree, native and [endemic](/source/endemism) to the outer [Canary Islands](/source/Canary_Islands) of the Atlantic Ocean. ==Description== ''Pinus canariensis'' is a large [evergreen](/source/evergreen) tree, growing to {{convert|30|-|40|m|abbr=off}} tall and {{convert|100|-|120|cm|abbr=off}} [diameter at breast height](/source/diameter_at_breast_height),{{cite book|author=C.A.B. International|title=Pines of Silvicultural Importance: Compiled from the Forestry Compendium, CAB International|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DB8dCbmgQ74C&pg=PA35|date=4 April 2002|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-0-85199-539-7|page=35}} exceptionally up to {{cvt|56|m}} tall and {{cvt|988|cm}} girth ({{cvt|314|cm}} diameter).{{cite web | title=The thickest, tallest, and oldest Canary Island Pines (Pinus canariensis) | website=Monumental Trees | url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/pinuscanariensis/records/ | access-date=2024-10-19}} The green to yellow-green [leaves](/source/leaves) are needle-like, in bundles of three, {{cvt|20|-|30|cm|frac=2}} long, with finely toothed margins and often drooping. A characteristic of the species is the occurrence of [epicormic shoot](/source/epicormic_shoot)s with single (not in threes) glaucous (bluish-green) juvenile leaves growing from the lower trunk, but in its natural area this only occurs as a consequence of fire or other damage. The [cones](/source/conifer_cone) are {{cvt|10|-|18|cm|frac=2}} long, {{cvt|5|cm|frac=4}} wide, glossy chestnut-brown in colour and frequently remaining closed for several years (serotinous cones). Its closest relatives are the [chir pine](/source/chir_pine) (''P. roxburghii'') from the [Himalayas](/source/Himalayas), the Mediterranean pines ''[P. pinea](/source/Stone_pine)'', ''[P. halepensis](/source/Pinus_halepensis)'', ''[P. pinaster](/source/Pinus_pinaster)'' and ''[P. brutia](/source/Pinus_brutia)'' from the eastern [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean). == Taxonomy == ''Pinus canariensis'' was first described in 1825 by [Augustin Pyramus de Candolle](/source/Augustin_Pyramus_de_Candolle), who attributed the name to [Christen Smith](/source/Christen_Smith).{{cite web |title=''Pinus canariensis'' C.Sm. ex DC. |work=[The International Plant Names Index](/source/International_Plant_Names_Index) |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/262832-1 |access-date=2021-08-26 }}{{Tropicos |24900368 |Pinus canariensis |C. Sm. ex DC. |access-date=2021-08-26}} It has been placed in [subsection ''Pinaster''](/source/List_of_Pinus_species) of subgenus ''Pinus'', section ''Pinus''. The other species in the subsection are mainly Mediterranean in distribution, with one species (''[P. roxburghii](/source/Pinus_roxburghii)'') from the Himalayas.{{cite journal |last1=Gernandt |first1=D. S. |last2=López |first2=G. G. |last3=García |first3=S. O. |last4=Liston |first4=A. |year=2005 |title= Phylogeny and classification of ''Pinus'' |journal=Taxon |volume=54 |issue= 1 |pages=29–42 |doi= 10.2307/25065300 |jstor = 25065300|bibcode=2005Taxon..54...29G |url=https://rc.upr.edu.cu/jspui/handle/DICT/2586 |url-access=subscription }} ==Distribution and habitat== The species is native and [endemic](/source/endemism) to the outer [Canary Islands](/source/Canary_Islands) ([Gran Canaria](/source/Gran_Canaria), [Tenerife](/source/Tenerife), [El Hierro](/source/El_Hierro) and [La Palma](/source/La_Palma)). It is a subtropical pine and does not tolerate low temperatures or hard frost, surviving temperatures down to about {{convert|-6|to|-10|C|F}}. Within its natural area, it grows under extremely variable rainfall regimes, from less than {{Convert|300|mm}} to several thousands, mostly due to differences in mist-capturing by the foliage. Under warm conditions, this is one of the most [drought-tolerant](/source/drought-tolerant) pines, living even with less than {{cvt|200|mm|frac=2}} of rainfall per year. The native range has been somewhat reduced due to over-cutting so that only the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, and Gran Canaria still have large forests, with extensive replanting of deforested areas since 1940.{{cite book | last1=Ashmole | first1=Myrtle | last2=Ashmole | first2=Philip | title=Natural History Excursions in Tenerife | publisher=Kidston Mill Press | publication-place=Peebles, Scotland | date=1989 | isbn=0-9514544-0-4 }}{{rp|36}} Really big trees are rare due to past over-cutting. It is the tallest tree in the Canary Islands, with the tallest specimen, 'Pino de las Dos Pernadas' near Vilaflor on Tenerife, being 56.7 m tall.{{cite web | title=Canary Island Pine 'Pino de las Dos Pernadas' along the Ctra General Vilaflor, Vilaflor, Canary Islands, Spain | website=Monumental Trees | date=2013-10-09 | url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/esp/canaryislands/vilaflor/2288_ctrageneralvilaflor/3482/ | access-date=2024-10-19}} ==Fossil record== Fossils of ''Pinus canariensis'' have been described from the [fossil flora of Kızılcahamam district](/source/fossil_flora_of_K%C4%B1z%C4%B1lcahamam_district) in Turkey which is of early [Pliocene](/source/Pliocene) age.{{cite journal |last1=Kasaplıgil |first1=Baki |date=1977 |title=Ankara, Kızılcahamam yakınındaki Güvem köyü civarında bulunan son tersiyer kozalaklı-yeşil yapraklı ormanı |trans-title=A Late-Tertiary Conifer-Hardwood Forest From the Vicinity of Güvem Village, Near Kızılcahamam, Ankara |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/bulletinofmre/issue/3914/52153 |format=PDF |journal=Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration |language=tr, en |location=Ankara |publisher=[General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration](/source/General_Directorate_of_Mineral_Research_and_Exploration_(Turkey)) |volume=88 |pages=94–102}} [Fossil](/source/Fossil) cones including seeds of ''Pinus canariensis'' are known from the [late Miocene](/source/late_Miocene) of [Abkhazia](/source/Abkhazia), from the [Vienna Basin](/source/Vienna_Basin) and the [Canary Islands](/source/Canary_Islands). Numerous cone casts including seeds of ''Pinus canariensis'' from the [early Pleistocene](/source/early_Pleistocene), were recovered on [Kallithea, Rhodes](/source/Kallithea%2C_Rhodes).Fossil seed cones of Pinus L. (Sect. ''Pinus'', subsect. ''Pinaster'' LOUDON, Sula group) from the late [Neogene](/source/Neogene) and early [Pleistocene](/source/Pleistocene) of Europe, Palaeontographica, Abteilung B: [Palaeobotany](/source/Palaeobotany), Palaeophytology Article Vol. 291, Issues 1–6: 131–164, September 2014 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, [Stuttgart](/source/Stuttgart), Germany – DOI:10.1127/palb/291/1994/131 by Zlatko Kvacek, Vasilis Teodoridi, Petr Mazouch and Paul Roiron == Ecology == This pine is one of the most [fire-resistant](/source/Fire_ecology) conifers in the world, due to several beneficial adaptations.{{Cite web |date=9 January 2017 |title=The most fire-resistant pine in the world • Forest Monitor |url=https://www.forest-monitor.com/en/most-fire-resistant-pine-pinus-canariensis/ |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=Forest Monitor |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last1=Starexcursions |last2=Starexcursions |date=26 December 2016 |title=The canary island pine resists fire: how is it possible? |url=https://starexcursions.com/en/canary-island-pine-resists-fire/ |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=StarExcursions |language=en-US}}{{cite journal|title=Fire history and management of ''Pinus canariensis'' forests on the western Canary Islands Archipelago, Spain|author=Domingo M. Molina-Terrén |author2=Danny L. Fry |author3=Federico F. Grillo|author4=Adrián Cardil|author5=Scott L. Stephens|url=https://nature.berkeley.edu/stephenslab/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Molina-et-al.-Canary-Island-FH-FEM-10-16.pdf |journal=Forest Ecology and Management|year=2016|volume=384|pages=184–192}} In particular, ''Pinus canariensis'' is one of the few pine species that can epicormically resprout after losing its needles in a fire.{{Cite journal |last1=Clarke |first1=P. J. |last2=Lawes |first2=M. J. |last3=Midgley |first3=J. J. |last4=Lamont |first4=B. B. |last5=Ojeda |first5=F. |last6=Burrows |first6=G. E. |last7=Enright |first7=N. J. |last8=Knox |first8=K. J. E. |date=January 2013 |title=Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire |journal=New Phytologist |language=en |volume=197 |issue=1 |pages=19–35 |doi=10.1111/nph.12001 |pmid=23110592 |issn=0028-646X|doi-access=free |bibcode=2013NewPh.197...19C }} == Uses == The tree's long needles make a significant contribution to the islands' water supply, trapping large amounts of cloud droplets as fog drip. This comes from the moist air coming off the Atlantic with the prevailing north eastern wind (locally called "alisios" or "tiempo norte"); the fog drip measured under trees can be up to 20 times the rainfall measured in the open away from trees at the same site. The condensation after dropping to the ground is quickly absorbed by the soil, and percolates down to the underground aquifers.{{rp|21–23}} The aromatic wood, especially the [heartwood](/source/heartwood), is among the finest of pine woods, being hard, strong and durable.{{cite book |last1=Dallimore |first1=William |author1-link=William Dallimore |last2=Jackson |first2=Albert Bruce |author2-link=Albert Bruce Jackson |year=1966 |title=A handbook of Coniferae, including Ginkgoaceae |edition=4 |location=London |publisher=Edward Arnold |pages=387, 411}} The wood of the Canary island pine is now becoming popular as a [tonewood](/source/tonewood) for soundboards for guitars and other [string instrument](/source/string_instrument)s. The aromatic heartwood (locally called "tea") is also traditionally used in [La Palma](/source/La_Palma) for making wine aging containers called pipas.{{Cite journal |date=2023-09-27 |title=El Vino de Tea de la Palma: Un Patrimonio Cultural Alimentario |url=https://revistas.grancanaria.com/index.php/aea/article/view/11023/aea |journal=Anuario de Estudios Atlánticos |volume=70 |issue=ANUARIO DE ESTUDIOS ATLÁNTICOS |doi=10.36980/11023/aea|hdl=10261/344654 |hdl-access=free }} ''Pinus canariensis'' is a popular [ornamental tree](/source/ornamental_tree) in warmer climates, such as in private gardens, public landscapes, and as street trees. In mainland Spain, South Africa, Sicily, Australia, and California, it has become a [naturalised](/source/naturalisation_(biology)) species from original landscape uses. ==In culture== It is the vegetable symbol of the island of [La Palma](/source/La_Palma).{{cite act|type=Ley|index=7/1991|date=30 April 1991|title=Símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias|trans-title=Natural Symbols for the Canary Islands|pages=20946–20497|url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1991-16276|language=es|via=[BOE](/source/Bolet%C3%ADn_Oficial_del_Estado)|volume=151}} ==Gallery== File:Pinus canariensis forest Caldera de Taburiente 3.jpg|In natural habitat on Canary Islands Image:CanaryIslandPine02MelbourneBotanicGardens.jpg|Trunk Image:pincan01.jpg|Epicormic shoots Image:Pinus canariensis (male) in Presa de las Niñas 02 (cropped).jpg|A cluster of mature male cones of a ''Pinus canariensis'' in [Gran Canaria](/source/Gran_Canaria) File:Pinus canariensis.jpg|Mature opened female cone Image:pincan21a.jpg|Figure on timber Image:Pinus canariensis PICT3077.jpg|Fire-resistant trunk File:Kanarische Kiefer bei Vilaflor, Teneriffa.jpg|Vilaflor, Tenerife Image:Pinus canariensis PICT3076.jpg|Tenerife south File:Pinus canariensis (Santa Cruz) 01 ies.jpg|''Pinus canariensis'', Santa Cruz File:Pinus canariensis forest La Palma.jpg|''Pinus canariensis'' forest, La Palma File:Pinus canariensis Caldera de Taburiente 1.jpg|''Pinus canariensis'' Caldera de Taburiente File:Snow in Tenerife.jpg|Tenerife File:Gran canaria llanos de la pez roque nublo teide.jpg|Gran Canaria File:Young cone.JPG|Male cones of ''Pinus canariensis'' photographed in Temecula, CA, USA File:Pinus canariensis - Gran Canaria.jpg|Ayacata, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. File:Pinus canariensis kz15.jpg|seedling in La Talleta, Tenerife, Canary Islands File:Tamadaba forest.jpg|Pinus canariensis forest in Tamadaba Natural Park ==See also== * [List of animal and plant symbols of the Canary Islands](/source/List_of_animal_and_plant_symbols_of_the_Canary_Islands) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons}} *[http://www.um.es/eubacteria/pinus_canariensis.jpg University of Murcia: Tenerife Island, Canarias, Spain: ''Pinus canariensis''] *[http://www.um.es/eubacteria/visu_plantas.html University of Murcia – World Plants: ''Pinus canariensis'' Images gallery]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} *[http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/courses/enh6/Week7/pinucana.html University of California: Davis ''Pinus canariensis''] {{Taxonbar|from=Q756191}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinus Canariensis}} canariensis Category:Endemic flora of the Canary Islands Category:Ornamental trees Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate Category:Trees of mild maritime climate Category:Drought-tolerant trees Category:Garden plants of Europe Category:Least concern plants --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pinus canariensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_canariensis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_canariensis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.