Where pines grow: species classification, definition, name, growth characteristics, conditions for natural and artificial cultivation. Early spring protection of the garden from pests and diseases

Botanical name: Scotch pine (Pinus silvestris)

Homeland: Siberia, Ural, Europe

Lighting: photophilous

The soil: sandy, sandy

Max Height: 40 m

Average life expectancy: 200 years

Reproduction: seeds, grafting

Synonym - Scotch pine

Description of Scots pine

The pine tree is one of the most valuable in our country. Reaching 35-40 m in height, it belongs to the trees of the first magnitude. The circumference of the trunk reaches 1 m. It is covered with reddish-brown, with grooves, exfoliating bark. At the base of the trunk, the bark is much thicker than the one at the top. Such an "idea" of nature has a protective function, protecting the tree from overheating and ground fire. In pines that grow in closed forest stands, the trunk is more slender with an openwork crown. While the tree is young, the crown has a conical shape. With age, it rounds, becomes wider, and in old age it acquires a flat or umbrella-shaped shape. pine needles has a bluish green color. It is quite dense, often sticking out, curved, collected in bunches of 2 needles. Length 4-7 cm. The needles are pointed, slightly flattened, have a thin longitudinal stripe. Needles live 3 years. In autumn, more often in September, part of the needles fall off. Before this, the needles turn yellow, from which the crown looks mottled.

Cones are located singly or in 2-3 pieces on the legs lowered down. The immature cone is conical in shape and dark green in color. Sometimes a brownish tinge may be present. Pine cones ripen in the second year. Ripe buds become brown or brown. The length is 3-6 cm, the width is 2-3 cm.

Pine is a coniferous tree, which is peculiarly prepared for winter period. After all, evaporation at a "minus" temperature is detrimental to the plant, at the same time, the needles remained on the branches. The plant copes with this quite simply: with the onset of cold weather, it lies on needles thin layer wax, the stomata close, therefore, breathing stops.

coniferous plant pine

Scotch pine forms a number of forms that differ in crown structure, color and shape of cones. Meet with a weeping and pyramidal crown. The color of the needles in young shoots can be golden, whitish or silver. The bark is found scaly or lamellar.

The pine plant has a wide range, which extends to different, from an ecological point of view, areas, so the species is characterized by a large number of ecotypes. To date, more than 30 such ecotypes have been identified by ecologists. For example, the Angarsk pine growing in the river basin. Angara is an ecotype of Scots pine. The study and observation of Scotch pine seedlings of different origin grown under the same conditions shows the difference in plants in the ability to drought and cold resistance, to growth, and resistance. Also, these plants may differ in morphological features, such as: the shape of the crown, the length of the needles, the structure of the trunk, etc. However, all these features are prone to change and are not used to distinguish the species.

Characteristics of Scots pine

Growing in adverse conditions, such as in a swamp, Scots pine can remain a dwarf. Moreover, even century-old specimens may not exceed 1 m in height. Pine is a light-loving plant, frost- and heat-resistant. Of all the representatives of tree species growing on sandy soils, Scotch pine is the most resistant to lack of moisture. Under such conditions, the roots are able to penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 m. Therefore, even in drought conditions, they can supply the tree with water. This ability of plants determined the different root system of different populations. In arid areas, a tap root develops well in a tree, and in conditions close occurrence groundwater, the root system is formed mainly by lateral roots branching in all directions.

The average life expectancy of pines is about 200 years. Individual specimens, under favorable conditions, live up to 400 years.

They grow quickly, especially a significant increase from a year to 100 years - 50-70 cm. According to this indicator, this representative of conifers is second only to larch. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 15. In conditions of dense planting - from 40 years. Abundant harvests, as a rule, can be repeated after 4-7 years.

It grows well on sandy and sandy soils. It is extremely rare in the steppe southern regions. Therefore, in recent years, Scotch pine has often been planted in shelterbelts along the slopes of ravines, on sands, in steppe ravines.

Very often you can find information that pine is a dioecious plant. This is a mistake, in fact, this is a monoecious plant, that is, with a predominance of flowers, either male or female. Thus, on one tree, female flowers are predominantly contained, and on the other, male inflorescences predominate. Female flowers are located at the ends of the shoots and have the shape of a small cone. And the male ones are near the base of the shoot. It is believed that the predominance of inflorescences of a certain sex is a hereditary factor. But it turns out that depending on the conditions in which the tree grows, its “sex” can change.

Scotch pine blooms at the end of May, when the air temperature is already high. Pollination occurs due to the wind. Fertilization itself will come only next year. During the pollination period, a yellow coating can be seen on the trees. This is pine pollen. By and large, the pine plant is distinguished by good pollination. This is possible due to the air sacs that pine pollen has, with the help of which it is carried by the wind over long distances. Pollination time varies depending on the weather. In clear sunny weather, pollen can scatter in 3-4 days. In the rain, this process is delayed.

How is a pine tree different?

The wood of common pine is dense, sound, containing a lot of tree resin. Young plantings are characterized by straight-grained wood, which over the years becomes oblique. The density of wood and its mechanical properties, which are important in construction, depend on a number of factors, in particular: soil moisture. So, pine growing on dry soil has a denser and more resistant to damage wood. Conversely, a plant that has grown in well-moistened soil has wood with low mechanical characteristics.

This breed is well propagated by seeds. This requires good soil and plenty of sun. It is best to transplant seedlings at the age of 3-7 years.

Pine does not react well to polluted city air, although it grows there quite often. For 2 years of living in the city, the resinous surface of the needles is covered with dust and soot, which interferes with the photosynthesis of the plant.

Fast-growing conifers, including Scots pine, without pruning ahead of the surrounding trees and successfully dominate them in growth. Conifer pruning is performed to form and maintain the structure of the tree and increase its lifespan. Competent pruning reduces the likelihood of defects, structural deviations of the tree. In addition, the formed crown prevents the pine tree from falling as a result of the negative effects of weather conditions. Broken, dried or diseased branches are immediately removed, which prevents the spread of fungal diseases. The live branch can also be deleted. This happens in exceptional cases and is necessary to ensure sunlight and air circulation inside the crown.

Scotch pine range

This species of conifers is widespread in Siberia and Europe. Forms pine forests on sandy or sandy loamy soil, can be found on peaty and very rarely on clay soil. This is a widespread tree of Eurasia. It can be found from Spain and Great Britain east to the river. Aldan and R. Cupid in Siberia. In the north, the tree grows to Lapland, and in the south it is found in China and Mongolia. It forms both pure stands and together with other conifers, oak, birch and aspen. The plant is undemanding to soil conditions and very often grows in areas unsuitable for other species: sands, swamps.

The Siberian area covers an area of about 5.7 million km2. The largest pine forests are concentrated in the river basin. Angara, in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, Ob, Podkamennaya Tunguska. In the northern part of the range, the distribution of pine rises to a level of 1000 m above sea level, and in the south - up to 1500 m above sea level.

Scotch pine: application

The branches and trunk of a pine tree are pierced with resin passages, which are filled with resin, commonly called "sap". "Zhivitsa" has great importance for the plant: heals inflicted wounds, repels pests. Such resin is obtained by tapping. It is used to obtain rosin, turpentine. The main thing is that you can get it not only from a living tree, but also from a pine stump. The air in the pine forest ("resinous") is rich in ozone and does not contain microbes. Pine forests have long been famous for their human-friendly properties.

In medicine, buds are widely used, which must be collected in early spring, before they bloom. The kidneys contain essential oils, resins, starch, tannins and bitter substances. Pine needles contain a large amount of carotene and vitamin C. Due to the value of wood, pine forests are considered the main object of forest exploitation.

Scots pine is one of the most ancient medicinal plants. Its needles were part of poultices and compresses 5000 years ago. In ancient Egypt, pine resin was found in embalming compositions. By the way, even now, after 3000 years, these compounds have not lost their bactericidal properties. In Rome and Greece, pine needles were used to treat colds. And in Russia for disinfection oral cavity, strengthening teeth and gums, it was customary to chew pine resin.

Pine wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture. It is also used in the construction of ships and wagons. Port facilities, dams and moorings are being built from it today. The pine forest was even called "ship grove" or "mast forest". And the ships are “floating pines”. Pine resin was intensively used by shipbuilders to process ropes, ships and boats. All this speaks of the high characteristics of pine wood.

However, pine plantations are also used for other purposes. So, a kind of pine root system helps to prevent soil erosion, provides an optimal level of moisture, protects cliffs and ravines from sprinkling.

As decorative culture is used extremely rarely. It is more often used in landscaping country estates, dispensaries, sanatoriums. It is planted in mixed stands, singly, in masses or in groups. Can be used in landscaping forest parks and landscape gardening areas, for planting country road especially on poor sandy soil. In culture, it grows in a group or singly in large parks, gardens and squares. The decorativeness of the young planting is inexpressive. Trees become highly decorative by the age of one hundred, when the trunk in its upper part begins to be covered with a thin orange bark, which gives elegance and attractiveness to the tree. The aesthetic characteristics of individual pines are enhanced as the stand thins out. Old pines, attracting glances from afar, have a special originality. In the absence of air pollution, Scots pine has high sanitary and hygienic characteristics.

A tree that, under the best growth conditions, reaches a height of 30-40 m or more, and a diameter of up to 100 cm. Scotch pine trunkgrowing in relatively close stands, slender, straight, even, highly delimbed; in sparse plantations or in the open, the tree is less tall, the trunk is tapered and more gnarled.

The crown of young trees is cone-shaped, later - rounded, wider, and in old age even umbrella-shaped or flat. It depends on the nature and speed of growth of the central axial and lateral shoots.

The bark of various parts of the tree of various thicknesses and different colors: in the lower part of the trunk, it is usually thicker and rougher, furrowed, red-brown, almost gray; in the middle and upper parts of the trunk and on large branches of the crown - yellowish-red, peeling off in thin plates, almost smooth, thin; on young trees and on thin branches - gray-green. The thickness of the bark reaches 10-12% of the diameter of the trunk.

Young shoots are glabrous, with brown scaly leaves, greenish-gray. The buds are reddish-brown, oblong-ovate, pointed, 6-12 mm long, mostly resinous, located at the end of the shoots whorled around the terminal bud, sometimes the buds appear on the shoots from the side, but do not form branches.

The needles are bluish-green, convex above, flat below, hard, pointed, up to 8 cm long and up to 2 mm wide. The life span of needles is 2-3 years. However, there are cases when, in some areas of a vast range of pine with special habitat conditions, the life expectancy of needles increases to 6-8 years or more. The oldest needles usually fall off annually.

Male spikelets are yellow or reddish, ovoid, 5-7 mm long, sit crowded on short legs at the base of young shoots of the current year, appear 2-3 days earlier than female ones. Stamens with two anthers opening with a longitudinal slit.

Female cones are oval, 5-6 mm long, reddish during flowering, sit 1-3 on short legs at the end of young shoots of the current year and consist of leathery covering scales, in the axils of which are seed scales with two ovules each. Pollination occurs in the spring with the assistance of the wind, and fertilization occurs in the summer. next year.

Pine cones ripen in autumn, and the seeds from them begin to fall asleep in the spring of the next year. In the Bryansk massif, this phenomenon occurs on average on May 12, or 718 days after the start of flowering. In the Moscow region, pine seeds begin to fall out of the cones on May 4, or 8 days earlier than in Bryansk, Nerekhta - on May 5, or 709 days after flowering, in Obozerskaya near Arkhangelsk - on April 28, or 677 days after flowering.

The largest number of pine seeds falls in May and June. Thus, according to observations in the BSSR, 4.8% of the amount of seeds falls in April, 62.2% in May, 28.5% in June, 4.1% in July, and 0.4% in August and September. .

Mature cones of Scotch pine are oblong-ovate, 2.5-7 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, brownish-gray, dull, with dense woody seed scales, hanging down on curved legs. Scutes, or apophyses, at the ends of the seed scales are dull or slightly shiny, almost rhombic, the umbilicus (tubercle of the apophysis) is slightly convex. Cones are red-brown, lilac-brown, gray, gray-green (Fig. 3).

Pine seeds are oblong-ovoid, 3-4 mm long. of various colors (variegated, gray, black) with a wing 3-4 times longer than the seeds, covering the seed on both sides, like tweezers, and easily separated from it.

The germination of Scotch pine seeds usually reaches 90% or more, but remains for no more than 4-5 years, since during storage their germination gradually decreases and after 4-5 years they lose their economic value. The weight of Scotch pine seeds in different geographical areas of its growth is different, rising from north to south and from west to east. On average, 1000 seeds weigh 6 g (from 3.4 to 8.2 g). In 1 kg, there are an average of 160-180 thousand pieces.

The size of the pine seed yield is closely related to the growing area, type of forest, age of the stand, its completeness, weather conditions and other factors. external environment. On average, in the forest zone, the pine yield is determined at 2 kg per 1 ha. In years of abundant harvests, it can reach 5 kg or more. In lean years, there are almost no seeds.

Seed germination and emergence of seedlings is possible throughout the growing season.

Usually seedlings appear with sufficient soil moisture and appropriate air temperature 2-3 weeks after the seeds fall out of the cones or sowing.

Shoots usually with 4-7 trihedral cotyledons. on seedlings solitary, sitting spirally. Paired needles appear in the second year. The tip of the elongated shoot of the second year ends with one apical and several lateral buds, of which next spring an axial shoot and the first whorl with two or three lateral branches are formed. When determining the age of young pines by whorls, two units should be added to the number of whorls, since in the first two growing seasons whorls are not formed on the shoot. It is relatively easy to determine the age of a pine by whorls at the age of up to 40-50 years; later it is more difficult to do this, since the branches of the lower whorls die off and become overgrown with wood and bark. In addition, under favorable moisture conditions in summer and a sufficiently warm and long autumn, pine can give two or more growths per season and form a second or even several whorls. Obviously, in such cases it will be difficult to determine the correct age of the tree.

In practice, the age of a tree is often determined by annual rings on the stump or by cylinders drilled with an incremental borer. Such a calculation can give a more accurate idea of the age of the tree, since the secondary annual tree ring of wood does not form during the formation of the second growth of the shoot in height.

At the time of seed-bearing ("fruiting"), the pine enters early. At the age of 10-15 years, and sometimes even earlier, individual pines growing in the open begin to dust and give completely germinating seeds. In denser forest stands, this process begins later - from 20-25 years and then continues throughout life, but abundant seed yields occur after 2-3-5 years. In the best growing conditions, the pine bears fruit more often and more abundantly, in the worst - less often and weaker. However, there is no clear frequency of harvests.

Scotch pine is a fast growing species. The maximum increase in height the best soils occurs at the age of 15-20 years, at worst - at 25 years. At the age of 40-50 years, the increase in height slows down, and then stops altogether. In diameter, the tree grows throughout its life. Pine lives up to 300-350 years, rarely up to 400 years or more.

The common pine is undemanding to the climate. It grows in the harsh climate of the Arctic and in the sultry steppes of Kazakhstan. Able to tolerate severe droughts and high dryness of air and soil. It does not suffer at all from late spring frosts and can settle in open spaces first, that is, it is a pioneer breed. To soil fertility also undemanding. It grows quite successfully on poor and dry sandy soils, on stony rocks in the mountains, on chalk deposits and peat-bog soils. But it develops better on fresh sandy and light loamy soils, as well as on degraded chernozems.

Scotch pine has a plastic root system that develops in accordance with the nature and structure of the soil. In conditions with insufficient water supply and a deep level of groundwater, pine develops a superficial, highly developed root system and an underdeveloped tap root. On swampy soils or with a close level of groundwater, the pine root system is also superficial, without a taproot. On fresh, well-drained, deep sandy, sandy and loamy soils, pine usually develops a powerful root system with a tap root going into the soil by 1.5-2 m or more; in such conditions it is very wind resistant. On the soils of small and damp, it often suffers from a windfall.

Scotch pine is very demanding on light and in this respect is second only to larch. Light-loving pines, however, are not the same everywhere: in the northern regions of their growth and in the mountains, it is more demanding of light than in the southern regions, where in some cases, especially at a young age, it requires some shading. Under such conditions, pine undergrowth usually survives only in shaded places, and burns out in open spaces. The lack of lighting under the canopy of dense young pine stands leads to the rapid death of trees that are lagging behind in growth and the clearing of trunks from branches in more developed ones.

Scotch pine wood has been used by man since time immemorial. It is very widely used in civil and industrial construction, in the construction of railways and highways, bridges, telegraph and telephone lines communications, in the mining industry, in carpentry and furniture production, in sawmilling, etc. We produce from pine: , . Industrial pine wood has an unlimited demand in the international market. Waste from logging and sawmilling is a valuable raw material for timber chemical industry. Methyl and ethyl alcohols, resins, turpentine, phenols, rosin, carbon dioxide, fodder yeast, crystalline glucose and other products are obtained from them. By tapping, resin is obtained, and from the latter - turpentine and rosin.

Scotch pine wood with a pinkish or brownish-red heartwood and yellowish-white sapwood, straight-grained, light, resinous, durable, easy to process. The annual layers are clearly visible. The early part of the annual layer is light, the late part is darker. The increase in the width of the annual layer occurs due to early wood (less dense). Late (more dense) wood with high physical and mechanical properties predominates in a narrow layer.

Characteristics of pine wood: wood is almost 50% carbon, 44% oxygen and nitrogen, and 6.4% hydrogen. In terms of chemical composition, it consists of 42.9% cellulose, 10.8% pentosans, 29.5% lignin, 12.8% hexosans, 3.2% resinous substances and 1.8% other water-soluble substances.

Scotch pine also has medicinal value. In medicine, pine buds are widely used, collected in the spring before they bloom. The kidneys contain resins, essential oils, starch, bitter and tannins, boleretin, mineral salts. Pine needles are rich in vitamin C and carotene. They get from it essential oil for the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Pine needles can be processed into vitamin flour, pine wool and cotton wool.

Scotch pine seeds contain a lot of fatty oil, which is of medical, nutritional and technical importance. Pine pollen can be used as a baby powder and as a substitute for mosquito spores in the manufacture of pills.

This species of pine can be considered unique in its adaptability to a variety of growing conditions. These diverse conditions, of course, left their mark on the Scots pine, forming many morphological and ecological forms and even varieties. For example, the variety called Cretaceous lives on chalk outcrops and marl outcrops in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions and is distinguished by small cones and short light green needles, while the dwarf variety grows in deep sphagnum bogs. Despite the existence of form diversity, Scots pine can always be recognized by its characteristic species features: by typical shoots and needles located in pairs on short shoots, by a well-defined whorled and tiered arrangement of rare branches that form a through crown, by a kind of bark, which is in the upper part the trunk is thin, orange, and in the lower part, as it were, set off by a zone of thick dark reddish-brown bark. Have you ever been in a beautiful pine forest, consisting of century-old pines that raised their openwork crowns to a height of 30 meters? Such pine forests can be found (but now rare) in the Bryansk region, in Kostroma.

Kirov and other regions of the European part Soviet Union and in the Urals. The high-stemmed pine forest, growing without admixture of other woody aids, makes a particularly great impression. We had to meet such pine forests in the Kirov region, and their beauty and majesty were preserved in our memory. Imagine slender pine trunks, highly debranched, towering above an even green ground cover of several types of moss. In the mushroom season, in such pine forests, one could pick up a lot of white mushrooms: their dark brown velvety hats stood out in relief against the background of a carpet of green mosses. In other pine forests - with a cover of blueberries - it was possible to collect a rich harvest of delicious berries that have different bushes either shiny or matte surface and varying in size. It is especially pleasant to harvest from large-fruited bushes. In dry pine forests, you can find lingonberries with a scattering of bright red berries.

All pine forests that give mushrooms and berries to the inhabitants of the European forest zone consist of only one type of pine - Scotch pine.

If only one species of pine occupies the vast areas, then where can you find the rest of its almost 100 species in the Northern Hemisphere? Other species are limited to more modest areas, and some endemic species have tiny habitats with specific growth conditions.

Let's get acquainted with the pines growing in the Soviet Union and find out the areas where they can be found. In addition to the widespread Scotch pine in our country, 11 more species of pine can be found in natural plantations. Two-needle, like Scotch pine, species grow in the south of the European part of Russia. These species have adapted to the conditions of the Black Sea coast and to the mountainous conditions of the Caucasus and Crimea. In the mountains of the Southern Crimea, Pallas pine, or Crimean pine, forms forests. Old 20-30-meter pines of this species can be distinguished by a flat umbrella-shaped crown, consisting of horizontal branches with upward curved ends, and by a dark gray deeply furrowed bark.

In the Crimean mountains, as well as along the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, another southern pine grows singly or in small groups - Koch pine, or hooked. It has characteristic brown cones with a strong thickening of the outer ends of the woody seed scales, partially elongated, and often bent in the form of a hook to the base of the cone, hence the specific name.
In the Caucasus, there are also very interesting two-leaved relict pine species with an extremely narrow range: Eldar pine and Pitsunda pine. Eldar pine can be seen in natural plantations only on the slope of one of the ridges in the zone of the dry stony Eldar steppe of Central Transcaucasia. This species is very drought-resistant, heat-tolerant and forms small light groves 12-15 m high on saline and calcareous soils.

If you manage to visit the Black Sea coast in the region of Western Transcaucasia, then you can admire the Pitsunda pine: its slender trunks rise to 30-37 m, forming unique plantations of 200 hectares on the Pitsunda Peninsula. This pine is also found singly or in small groups along the slopes and coastal cliffs on a narrow strip of the coast adjacent directly to the Black Sea.

In the Far East, in the south of Primorsky Krai, along the coastal slopes of another sea - the Sea of Okhotsk, another species of two-leaved pine grows with a small area in our country - funeral pine, reaching a height of 30 m. This very decorative pine received a gloomy name because of its wide use for landscaping cemeteries on the Korean peninsula (there are significant areas of it).

Along with two-needle pines, five-needle pines grow in the forests of our country, in which bunches of five needles are located on shortened shoots. Five-coniferous pines are included in the group of so-called cedar pines found in the Soviet Union, which received such a name due to the fact that these pines have long been incorrectly called cedars, although they are very different from representatives of the real cedar genus.

The group of five-needle cedar pines growing in our country includes three tall species: European cedar pine (European cedar), a resident of the Carpathians, Siberian cedar pine (Siberian cedar), common in the expanses of Siberian forests, and multi-peaked Korean cedar pine (Korean cedar ), decorating the forests of the Far East. All these three types of cedar pines differ from biconiferous pines not only in the number of needles in a bunch, but also in the features of the crown, bark, needles, as well as in the larger size and quality of cones and seeds. All three tall-stemmed cedar pines have very hard cones, and their seeds are " pine nuts» also with a hard shell. They are wingless, edible and known to humans as delicious treat. There are also differences in wood: in contrast to the resinous and hard wood of Scots pine, in cedar pines it is soft and not resinous. On the territory of mountainous Eastern Siberia, in the zone of the northern tundra and in the mountains of the Far East, another type of five-needle tree grows. cedar pine- Siberian dwarf pine, which forms low-growing shrubby impenetrable thickets spread over large areas above the permafrost layer. The five-coniferous pines also include small-flowered pine, growing only on Kuril Islands, but often found in other Asian countries. To get acquainted with pine trees growing in other countries of the Asian region, we will choose only the most common and especially original species. These include two-coniferous, and three-coniferous, and five-coniferous pines. Among the latter, the most famous are small-flowered pine and related species. The five-needle Himalayan Weymouth pine growing in the mountains of Western China is very beautiful. Because of the bright silvery green color of the needles, this pine is called "silver". She has soft and loose cones, similar to spruce, but 3 times larger.

But one of the most original, of course, should be considered the three-coniferous Bunge pine, close to the Himalayan Gerard pine, with edible seeds, growing at an altitude of 200 m above sea level in the mountains of Central China and having a bark unusual for a pine: light gray, smooth and exfoliating in large plates, exposing the underlying young layers of white bark. This pine tree, because of the peculiar white bark, has long been planted near palaces and temples and was considered a sacred tree. It is also valued for its edible large (up to 2 cm long) nut seeds. Another three-coniferous pine from the foothills of the Himalayas has edible seeds, is very original and is used for landscaping purposes. This is a long-coniferous pine, or Roxburgh, which is distinguished by a wide-pyramidal, almost umbrella-shaped crown, furrowed black-brown bark, hard and large cones and amazingly long (30-35 cm) very decorative soft needles hanging in bunches down at the ends of branches of light green strands. Longleaf pine forms plantations in the mountains from a height of 400 m above sea level.
AT coniferous forests In the moderately warm subzone of Central and Western China, several types of two-leaved pines are also common: Chinese pine, or oilseed, up to 25 m high with blue-green elegant needles 10-15 cm long and Yunnan pine close to it, with cones chocolate color and long (up to 34 cm) thin needles, sometimes collected not by 2, but by 3 needles in a bunch. Next to these species grows the five-needle Armand pine with a wide crown of outstretched branches covered with hanging bright green needles. In the subtropical zone of China, there are plantations of another two-leaved pine - Masson's pine, close to the Chinese pine, but with thinner and longer (up to 20 cm) needles.

On the peninsula of Korea, Korean cedar pine and densely flowering pine up to 30 m high with a wide irregular shape crown and with soft needles hanging densely at the ends of the branches. This type of pine is also characteristic of Japan. And in the subtropical rainforests of the southern part of the Korean peninsula and in southern Japan, you can find the two-leaved Thunberg pine, or Japanese black pine, reaching a height of 35-40 m. Here, on the upper limit of the distribution of mountain forests, you can see undersized thickets of the already familiar bushy pine - cedar dwarf .

In the mountain forests of Pakistan and India, the Himalayan pine, or Graffita, is common, forming extensive dense forests.

Having briefly become acquainted with the Asian species of pine, let's mentally move to the Mediterranean coast. Here you can see several species of pine, widely distributed on the coast and in the mountains and adapted to the maritime climate and to the peculiar mountain conditions of existence. In the western part of the Mediterranean, the two-needle Aleppo pine is very common, and in the eastern Mediterranean, the two-needle Calabrian, or Brutus pine, predominates. There is also a two-leaved maritime pine with soft needles and huge resinous cones, which also grows in Spain and Portugal. In the Alps, above Scotch pine, you can find mountain pine, rising to the Alpine belt of mountains, and European cedar pine.

Throughout the Balkan Peninsula, there is a five-needle, slow-growing Rumelian pine, or Balkan pine.

In Italy and Greece, black pine is very common, growing on different height also in the mountains and in the countries of the Front (in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, etc.) and Southeast Asia, and the coastal plantations of the Mediterranean are characterized by groups of very decorative Italian pine, or pine, with an original umbrella-shaped crown, from a distance similar to a huge umbrella and having very large cones and wingless and largest seeds among all types of pine (1500 seeds in 1 kg, and 4000 seeds in Siberian stone pine in 1 kg). Its seeds are similar to pine nuts, but they are much larger and with a harder shell. These edible seeds are known as piñolis.

Even a brief acquaintance with European and Asian pine species convinces of their great diversity. We will find even greater diversity in the appearance of different types of pine when comparing numerous types of American pines. There are two-coniferous, three-coniferous, five-coniferous species, as well as more rare one-, four- and eight-coniferous species.
For the more northern regions, the two-leaved Banks pine is very characteristic, which is easily recognized by annual growths consisting of several internodes, and by curved and strongly slanting cones hanging on the tree for many years unopened. This type of pine is interesting for its biological characteristics, the ability to grow on sandy and dry loamy soils and its special decorative effect, and the double-leaved resinous pine, often adjacent to this species, is valued for its very hard and highly resinous wood.

To the south - in the zone of the southern taiga in North America - a very fast growing five-needle Weymouth pine lives, reaching a height of 50-80 m. This type of pine and 15 more species of the Weymouth pine group close to it, including the Himalayan Weymouth pine, are very different from other species of pine for their thin-woody cylindrical elongated cones, usually hanging on long or short petioles. They also differ in seeds with a very long and adherent wing. The Weymouth group of very decorative pines includes southern belle- Mexican Weymouth pine. These 30-meter pines are crowned with a wide-conical crown, starting from the ground and formed by branches covered with thin hanging, grayish-green needles with bluish stomatal stripes. This pine forms forests in the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala.

But let's continue our acquaintance with North American pines. The Weymouth pine group also includes one of the largest North American pines - sugar pine, or Lambert, sometimes reaching 80-100 meters in height. This type of pine amazes with the record size of cones having a length of 30-40 cm (sometimes longer than 50 cm). Lambert pine grows in the northwestern United States in the sequoia forests of the Pacific region, along with three-coniferous yellow pine - one of the most valuable and most common pines in the United States. It forms the famous western pine forests on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, accounting for 32% of all coniferous forests in the United States. A little south of the sequoia forests in the state of California, on the slopes of mountains at an altitude of 1000 to 2500 m above sea level, pure pine forests grow from Lambert pine and from Sabine pine, or white California, reaching a height of 20-25 m and having short curved branches that form rounded and rather dense crown. This ornamental pine with thin, bluish-tinged shoots and light green thin and slightly hanging needles has edible seeds and valuable wood, from which turpentine is obtained with the smell of orange soap.

Other species of pine also grow in the western regions: mountain pine, flexible pine, or California cedar, twisted pine, white-trunk pine, etc. In southern California, among the community of evergreen shrubs on sandy drifts and along the slopes, there are stunted pines - spinous and cedar. On the Pacific coast, long-lived mountain California pines can be found. The most durable pines belong to the group of 12 species, characterized by short needles (from 1 to 5 cm). Among them there are one-, three-, four- and five-coniferous species. Some of them are champions in life expectancy and needles (10-15 years), and the tree itself. For example, specimens of spiny pine were found at the age of 5000 years. One withered pine long-life had 4844 growth rings, indicating its venerable age.

In the subtropical region in the southeastern United States, the region of southern pine forests stands out, constituting more than 50% of the area of all coniferous North American forests. In these forests grow the most valuable 10 species of pine, called southern pines and found east of the Great Plain to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. They include: frankincense pine, or edible, with peculiar prickly cones, hedgehog pine, or short-coniferous, swamp or long-coniferous; late or lacustrine, barbed pine, etc. Smaller areas here are occupied by Elliot pine, or swampy, sandy pine, western Indiana. Each of these pines is interesting both for its biological features and economic use.

We have become acquainted with many types of pines growing in North America and in the valleys and in the mountains, but even more species diversity pines can be found in Central America. Here, in a relatively small geographical area, there are about 40 species of pine, i.e., almost 40% of all existing species. Moreover, it is interesting that among them there are also dwarf species, for example, a pine-on-palm tree growing in the mountains of Mexico at an altitude of 3700 m above sea level, 1 m high (the highest mountain of American pines). But giant pines also grow here, such as the Montezuma five-needle pine, which forms excellent highly productive forests with a large supply of timber. This pine is an amazing beauty with a very decorative crown with horizontally spread sparse branches and graceful "weeping" needles 30-45 cm long, hanging in five-needle sultans at the ends of the shoots. Another Mexican species is also very effective - a three-coniferous pine drooping with original light green thin and falling long strands of needles, densely covering long thin branches, forming a wide light and low crown, covering trunks with red-brown bark. On the border with Nicaragua, the southernmost of the American pines grows - the oviparous pine, found in the mountains of the subtropical zone. In Mexico, very beautiful species of pines are common, including the Mexican Weymouth pine. Pines are typical of the forests of Central America, and even in the driest places of the tropical zone, rare pines can be seen here. On the slopes of the mountains there are relic mountain pine forests of single-coniferous, four-coniferous and cedar-shaped pines. Pine trees are also characteristic of the islands. In Cuba, for example, eastern pine forests are spread at low altitudes with a predominance of Cuban pine, in the western part of the island plantations of Caribbean pine dominate, and on richer and more moist soils - from tropical pine.

Our even cursory acquaintance with some types of pine shows a great variety of them. appearance and individual morphological features. And yet we can unmistakably establish that any of the 100 species belongs to a single genus - pine.

What external morphological features serve as landmarks by which you can recognize a pine tree?

There are several such signs characteristic of all types of pine. Let's get to know them.

From the dendrological literature, one can learn that all pines have two types of shoots: elongated and shortened. On elongated shoots, representing annual growths, there are, in addition to bunches of real green needles, still dry scaly brown leaves. Looking for these rudimentary leaves, we can see that shortened shoots stick out of their axils, on which bunches of clearly visible green needles are located.

Thus, the presence of elongated and shortened shoots, the presence of two types of leaf apparatus, of which one is rudimentary, are the most characteristic features of the pine genus. It is by the peculiar arrangement of the leaf apparatus that one can always recognize a pine tree. True, the beam arrangement of needles is characteristic not only of pines. The needles are located in bunches in both larches and cedars. But larch has up to 20-50 needles in a bunch - tender, soft, light green, falling for the winter, and on elongated shoots there is another arrangement of single green needles. In short bunches of cedars, there are 30-40 needle-shaped hard and prickly, three- or four-sided needles, and on elongated shoots, single green needles are spirally arranged.

And only the pine has (and is poorly distinguished, at first glance) scaly dry rudimentary leaves. By characteristics you can always identify any kind of pine, no matter what original appearance it may have. And when getting acquainted with any, even the richest, collection conifers in the arboretum we can special work find all the species of pine in this collection. These searches for pine species are very exciting, and their study will always be a pleasure, since most pines faithfully serve people, giving them both food and a variety of household items. And how great is the aesthetic impact of pine trees on a person, and what great recreational value they have!

Let us grow and carefully protect our native pines and more widely introduce valuable foreign species that will enrich the forests of our country.

The evergreen Pine is a symbol of immortality and vitality. Even in winter, when nature sleeps, it's beautiful green Tree reminds us that spring is coming soon.

In old times Pine branch considered magical. The Western Slavs kept the branch for a whole year and only replaced it with a new one on New Year's holidays. She guarded the peace and well-being of the hut and was a kind of amulet against evil force. And now in the villages you can find the "spruce" of Pine, standing in a vase as a decoration.

Pine name

Origin Pine names. One of the two versions derives the Latin name of the tree from the Celtic word pin, which means rock, mountain, that is, growing on rocks, the other - from Latin words pix, picis, which means resin, that is, a resinous tree.

Widespread in Russia Scotch pine". Most often it is found in the northern part of the country and in Siberia. Pine trees form forests mixed with other species, as well as pure forests, popularly referred to as "pine forests". The soil for the Pine is diverse - from arid and rocky places to swampy areas.

Pine loves very much sunlight, therefore, in the forest, among its fellows, the trunk stretches up, from which it takes the form of a mast. No wonder they were previously used in shipbuilding.

On the Pine plain looks completely different. Having spread the branches, it takes on bizarre shapes and curvatures, dense crowns and zigzags. The trunk becomes stocky and powerful, like a hero.

Pine Needles have a green color with a bluish tint.

Pine Bark- reddish-brown and cast copper.

Pine Wood- a yellowish tint due to the high content of resin in it. It is not for nothing that during the construction of the log house, the lower crown always consisted of pine logs in order to avoid rapid decay. That is why some buildings from the times of ancient Novgorod have been preserved.

When the Pine Blooms

Pine blossoms May or June depending on the weather. A mature tree is considered 80-100 years old.

In April, on quiet sunny days, standing next to this fabulous idol, you can hear a barely perceptible pine seed clicking. This dried up and the cones began to open, releasing the ripened winged seeds. These seeds will give life to new trees.

By the way, pine cones are an excellent fuel for Russian samovars and favorite treat protein and birds.

Medicinal properties of Pine

Pine is used as an expectorant, diaphoretic and diuretic. Pine has an analgesic property and kills disease-causing microbes in the body.

Sap- a thick light yellow liquid flows out of the damaged branches and trunks of the Pine. Possessing antibacterial properties, it prevents the penetration of harmful microorganisms into the trunk.

If there was no first-aid kit in the forest due to injuries and scratches, instead of a plaster, you can apply clean Zhivitsa to the wound. It is also able to relieve toothache, so medicinal chewing gum is made from resin in some regions.

Has an antibacterial effect burning tar smoke. Rooms, cellars and barrels for salting are “fumigated” with smoke.

For pain in the joints and muscles, another component of the resin is used for grinding - turpentine.

Pine- that rare tree that goes into business completely from head to root.

Pine Bark cut well. It can be used in the manufacture of floats and crafts.

AT traditional medicine Pine is used most often in the form of decoctions, tinctures and tea. Infusion and decoction of the kidneys of the plant are used for inflammation, cough, bronchitis, dropsy and liver diseases.

From pine needles prepare an infusion and decoction, used as a prevention of beriberi.

From pine pollen you can make a tea that helps with gout and rheumatism. Pollen mixed with honey is used after a major operation or illness.

In the Caucasus, young cones and flowers of Pine make delicious jam.

Amber- lain in the ground for millions of years pine resin. Thanks to the resin, scientists had a chance to study prehistoric insects frozen in Amber.

By the shape of the crown and branches of Pine, geologists can determine the composition of the soil.

During the war, in the villages, they removed the thin bark from the Pine trees and scraped off the "pulp" - the living layer of the tree. It was dried and mixed with flour.

Thin and long pine roots were used to make dense “root” dishes in which starch, sand or salt were stored.

Another use of the roots is as fuel in lamps. In the old days, when fishing on a sharp night, only Pine roots went into the lamp to avoid unnecessary crackling of firewood, which could scare away the fish.

In 1669, near Moscow, in the village of Kolomenskoye, the first wooden royal palace. Pine logs served as the material, while the carpenters did not use a single nail. In the palace there was a whole a thousand windows and 270 rooms. Unfortunately, to this day the structure has survived only in memories and drawings.

Photo credits: Diverso17 , GraAl , ALICE :) , VasiLina (Yandex.Fotki)

Pine belongs to the genus of coniferous evergreen trees, the Pine family, which is characterized by needle needles growing in bunches of 2-5 pieces each and woody female cones that mature in two growing seasons.

Pine lives on average for about 350 years, growing in height from 35-75 m, but there are also centenarians. For example, the bristlecone pine, which grows in the USA, lives for about 6,000 years and is the longest-lived tree species throughout the world.

In addition, the pine is distinguished by its powerful root system with a vertical tap root going deep down, as well as flaky bark. Thanks to this structure of pine roots, it can be called a pioneer of forests, since it can grow in a variety of places: on sands, on rocks, over ravines, in a forest. Some types of pines are not afraid of drought, snow, frost, or winds.

But pine is sensitive to air pollution with gases and dust, which limits its use in urban landscaping. As a rule, pine is distributed in the temperate and cold climate of the northern hemisphere, where it forms forests on rocky slopes and on drained soils.

In total, there are approximately 100 species of pine in the forests of the temperate zone and more than 20 species in the tropical and subtropical zones. Some types of pine are valued for their variety of shapes and nice shape crowns, and others for beautiful cones and needle color.

The most popular in ornamental gardening are Siberian pine, Weymouth pine, Rumelian pine, Banks pine and Alpine dwarf pine, it forms low shrub thickets.

In the mountains of the northern part of the Black Sea coast and the Crimea, Crimean pine (Pinus Pallasiana) or Pallas is often found, a tree about 30 m high, which looks very decorative thanks to its long green needles.

In Russia, the widest range is occupied by Scotch pine. The most valuable species of pine are: yellow pine, resinous pine, Weymouth pine.

Some species of pines are endangered and are listed in the Red Book. For example, Cretaceous pine, Pitsunda pine, funeral pine and others.

Pine benefits the person. Its homogeneous soft wood is perfectly processed, glued, painted and polished, so it is a sought-after building material.

Features of pine care

Pine is photophilous, therefore it develops and grows better on open places. In addition, pine is a drought-resistant plant that does not require additional watering.

Young specimens of pine and decorative forms with delicate needles may suffer from winter frosts, as well as spring burns needles, so in the fall they need to be covered with spruce branches, which must be removed in April. Mature pines are quite winter-hardy.

A large number of pine species are undemanding to the soil, but prefer to grow on sandy or sandy soils. If there is a lot of sand in the soil, then you need to add clay.

The soil for planting pines should be in the following proportions - soddy land, clay or sand (2: 1). If the soil is heavy, drainage is required, which is suitable for gravel or sand, with a layer about 20 cm thick.

Pine breeding

Pine propagation is possible by seeds: they need to be sown in the spring. You should know that pine seeds ripen only 2 years after pollination. Ornamental species propagate by grafting. It is usually not possible to propagate pine cuttings.

Diseases and pests of pine

The most common pine disease - seryanka (blister rust, resin cancer) - is caused by a rust fungus. A pollen-like coating of orange appears on the tips of the needles. Control measures: removal of infected trees, destruction of intermediate hosts (gooseberries and currants).

The main pests of pine are butterflies and some aphids. Butterflies and their caterpillars feed on buds and needles, gnaw on shoots. To combat butterflies, trees are sprayed with the Lepidocide biological product.

Some pine diseases are caused by aphids. You can fight it by treating it with karbofosom or insecticides (pine moth, common pine scale insect, pine scoop).

The use of pine in landscape design

Pine is traditionally used in garden design. Recommended for group and single landings and alpine slides. Some decorative forms of pine may be used for borders and free-growing hedges.

Aristate pine (Bristol)

This pine tree is native to North America. It is a small bushy tree, no more than 15 m high. The oldest of all specimens of this species is a pine tree that grows in the mountains of Arizona. She is over 1500 years old. But in general, the life expectancy of a pine depends on the place of growth.

In a culture very beautiful view pine, however, dead needles remain on the tree for a long time, thereby spoiling its appearance, so it is recommended to remove it manually. A tree about 15 m high. It blooms in early spring. Anther cones numerous, yellow or reddish. Pine aristata looks great as a bonsai or rock garden.

Pine Armandi

Armandi pine differs from representatives of other species in beautiful resinous yellow-brown cones that look spectacular against the background of narrow and long blue-green needles. It grows in China and is valued not only for its decorative appearance, but also for its durable, softwood, which is used in the furniture industry and is used for the manufacture of sleepers. In addition, turpentine is obtained from the resin of this pine - a raw material for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. A tree up to 18 m high. Lives for more than 500 years.

This pine grows from Bear Lake in Canadade to the states of Vermont in the USA. Banks pine grows on sandy soils of hills and plains. The tree is about 25 m high and the trunk is 50-80 cm in diameter. Cones are curved and oblique, sessile, conical, about 5 cm, kept on the tree, closed for several years.

The wood of this species of pine is hard and heavy. It is used in construction, sulfate pulp is made from it.

The fragrant resin of the Banks pine, acting on the shoots, makes this pine especially desirable in plantings near sanatoriums, with rest houses, where it looks great in group plantings.

White pine (Japanese)

White pine, sometimes called Japanese, or girlish, grows in Japan, as well as on the Kuril Islands. It is an elegant tree no more than 20 m high with long dark green needles, which have a silver tint on the underside and with a dense cone-shaped crown.

In Japan, this pine tree is a symbol of longevity, as well as a symbol of the beginning of the year.

Due to its decorative effect, this type of pine is often found in parks on the coast of the Caucasus, where it has taken root due to the humid and mild climate.

It grows in the mountains in southeastern Europe. Whitebark pine is not demanding on growing conditions, resistant to dust and smoke, so it is common in many countries, as well as in Russia. Tree about 8-10 m high, crown diameter 7 m. Cones ovate, brown-black.

The tree looks spectacular in group and single landings and suitable for small plots due to slow growth. Lives about 300-350 years.

Weymouth pine grows in northeastern North America. In those places, its height reaches about 30-40 m, but in our latitudes it is worth counting only 15, maximum 20 m. It lives for about 300 years. The crown of the Weymouth pine is pyramidal, the branches are horizontal, the needles are soft, blue-green, 10 cm long.

The cones of this pine are long, light brown-yellow. Having a vast area, this pine practically does not form pure plantations, it grows together with maples, oaks and hemlock.

Himalayan pine (Wallichiana)

On the southern slopes of Annapurna, in the Himalayas, at an altitude of about 1800-3760 m above sea level, graceful trees grow, about 50 m high, with a pyramidal crown and green-gray short needles, collected in bunches of 5 pieces.

Himalayan pine is very decorative due to its wonderful, long hanging cones.

Mountain pine can be a tree about 10 m high or a multi-stemmed shrub. Its range is Southern and Central Europe.

Turning and joinery are made from the wood of this pine, and its resin is used in cosmetics and medicine. In the Crimea, it is used to strengthen slopes with poor soil.

Mountain pine is very popular as decorative look decorating personal plots and gardens and is often used to create undersized groups.

It grows at an altitude of 900 to 1700 and above sea level, forming mixed with larch and spruce and small pure stands. This type of pine is especially valued for its delicious seeds - pine nuts, they are very nutritious and healthy, because they contain up to 50% oil, protein and starch.

Cedar pine wood is used as a material for carpentry and construction work, as well as for the production of pencils. However, cedar pine is listed in the Red Book, so its economic use is limited.

This type of pine forms pure stands and can grow together with birch, spruce, aspen, oak. The height of the tree is from 20 to 40 m, the crown at a young age is cone-shaped, in mature age it is umbrella-shaped.

The color of the needles is bluish-green, the cones are ovoid, reddish-brown, solitary, their length is about 3-6 cm. Scotch pine grows quickly.

Its wood is used in construction and some industries; is the main source of lumber. Its resin is used in raw materials for the chemical industry, needles are used to produce vitamin flour.

or Balkan

It grows in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. Creates forests at an altitude of about 750-2300 m, pure or with white fir, Scotch pine and European spruce.

Shade-tolerant and fast-growing, undemanding to soils. The height of the tree is about 20 meters. The crown of the Balkan pine is cone-shaped, sometimes growing straight from the ground. The Balkan pine needles are long, dense, grayish-green, the cones are light brown, elongated.

Decorative forms of this pine adorn the landscapes of the United States and Northern Europe. There are also dwarf varieties of this plant that can be grown in the bonsai style.

The Thunberg pine is a beautiful tree with deeply furrowed bark that roughens and becomes expressive.

This type of pine takes large territories in North America, growing at an altitude of about 3500 m above sea level. A low-growing form of lodgepole pine grows in swamps, on sand dunes.

Durable and light yellowish wood of this type is used in construction.

Black pine (Austrian)

In nature, black pine grows in Central and Southern Europe, and in the west of the Balkan Peninsula. The height of the tree is from 20-40 meters, in youth the crown is pyramidal, in maturity it is umbrella-shaped. The needles are long, dark green, the cones are yellow-brown.