Pinus lambertiana
Sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana )
The sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana ) is a coniferous tree from the western North America. It is the greatest of all pine species and is also the longest cones of the genus. It has your name from secretion drops that occur at wound edges and taste sweet by the high content of inositol.
Description
The sugar pine reaches a height of 60 meters, under optimal conditions, a maximum height of 83 meters was measured at a diameter at breast height of 3 meters. The maximum age is about 600 years. It has a straight trunk and a narrow, cone- shaped, open crown. The branches are horizontal and are widely projecting to slightly overhanging. The bark of young trees is smooth and light brown, later it becomes thicker and split. Young shoots are thick and show a short, soft, brown hair. The red-brown buds are ovoid to cylindrical, 3-8 mm long, pointed and resinous and have close-fitting scales.
The needles sit in groups of five and are 7-10 inches long and 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide. They are dark green, stiff, slightly rotated and sharply pointed and have a serrated edge. Inside they have bluish-white stomatal lines. The needle sheaths are 2 inches long and redundant. The needles remain two to three years on the tree.
The male cones are yellow, cylindrical and 15 millimeters long. The seed cones mature after two years. They are shiny light brown and are 30 to 60 inches long and 8 to 11 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters in the open state. They are cylindrical, stalked and drooping. The cone scales are leathery, broadly wedge -shaped with a convex back and a dull and slightly recurved tip. The seeds are 1.5 inches long and winged.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The natural range of sugar pine extends mainly over the high rainfall western slopes of the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada in California and Oregon. They are also found in western Nevada and northern Baja California.
It prefers cool, moist forests with well drained, moist to wet, sandy and gravelly, moderately fertile soil. It grows on acidic to neutral soils and avoids calcareous substrates. They are found at altitudes 330-3200 m. Your optimum it finds on deep, sandy loams of granite weathering at altitudes 1500-2000 meters. It is hardy and withstands temperatures from -15 to -12 ° C It thrives in full sun to light shade locations.
The sugar pine is listed in the IUCN Red List as not at risk ( " Lower Risk / Least Concern "). It is noted, however, that a re-evaluation of risks is required.
Ecology
The sugar pine rarely occurs in pure stands. It grows along with the giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) of the Sierra Fir ( Abies concolor var lowiana ), incense cedar ( Calocedrus decurrens ), with Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).
The species is heavily damaged by the Strobenrost ( Cronartium ribicola ), which, however, in the southern part of the range may be from climatic causes occurs only rarely. The general susceptibility to rust fungi and too few frost resistance are reasons why it is not planted in Central Europe. Among the insects of the mountain pine beetle caused ( Dendroctonus ponderosae ) the most damage. During times of drought, other species such as the jewel beetle Melanophila californica or the bark beetle Dendroctonus valens attacked the sugar pine. The pins are damaged by the beetle Conophthorus lambertianae.
System
The sugar pine is associated with the sub-section strobus in the section Quinquefoliae. This is in the subgenus strobus in the genus pines ( Pinus ) were counted. It can be crossed with the Western White Pine (Pinus monticola ) and the Armands pine ( Pinus armandii ).
The chromosome number is 2n = 24
Use
The wood of the sugar pine is widely used, with many more trees are cut down as regrow. The timber can be easily cleaved and was formerly used for the production of shingles.