Chinese White Pine
Encyclopedia
The Chinese White Pine (Pinus armandii; family Pinaceae
) is a species of pine
native to China
, occurring from southern Shanxi
west to southern Gansu
and south to Yunnan
, with outlying populations in Anhui
and Taiwan
; it also extends a short distance into northern Myanmar
. It grows at 1,000-3,300 m altitude, with the lower altitudes mainly in the northern part of the range. It is a tree
reaching 25–40 m height, with a trunk up to 1.5 m in diameter.
It is a member of the white pine
group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves
('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 8–20 cm long. The cones
are 9–22 cm long and 6–8 cm broad, with stout, thick scales. The seed
s are large, 10–16 mm long and have only a vestigial wing; they are dispersed by Spotted Nutcracker
s. The cones mature in their second year, this is a juvenile female cone:
The species has three varieties
:
The varieties dabeshanensis and mastersiana are both listed as endangered
.
Chinese White Pine has also been reported in the past from Hainan
off the south coast of China, and two islands off southern Japan
, but these pines differ in a number of features and are now treated as distinct species, Hainan White Pine
Pinus fenzeliana and Yakushima White Pine
Pinus amamiana respectively.
s. These nuts are responsible for "Pine Mouth Syndrome". The wood
is used for general building purposes; the species is important in forestry
plantation
s in some parts of China. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in park
s and large garden
s in Europe
and North America
. The scientific name commemorates the French missionary and naturalist Armand David
, who first introduced it to Europe.
seekers of immortality consumed much of the tree’s resin, hoping thereby to prolong life. Legend says that Qiu Sheng (仇生) who lived at the time of King Chengtang of Shang
(商成汤王) (reigned 1675-1646 BCE), founder of the Shang Dynasty
, was indebted for his longevity to pine-resin.. The Shouxing, Chinese God of Longevity (寿星), is usually represented standing at the foot of a pine, while a Fairy-crane
perches on a branch of the tree. In traditional pictures of "happiness, honor and longevity", (福禄寿三星), the pine-tree represents longevity, in the same manner as the bat symbolizes good fortune due to its homonym
ic association with the Chinese character for good luck (福). A fungus, that the Chinese call Fu Ling grows on the root of the pine-tree, and is believed by the Chinese to suppress all sensations of hunger, cure various diseases, and lengthen life.
Pinaceae
Pinaceae are trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly known as Coniferales. Pinaceae are supported as monophyletic by its protein-type sieve...
) is a species of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
native to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, occurring from southern Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
west to southern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and south to Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, with outlying populations in Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
; it also extends a short distance into northern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
. It grows at 1,000-3,300 m altitude, with the lower altitudes mainly in the northern part of the range. It is a tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
reaching 25–40 m height, with a trunk up to 1.5 m in diameter.
It is a member of the white pine
Pinus classification
There are three main subgenera of Pinus, the subgenus Strobus , the subgenus Ducampopinus , and the subgenus Pinus...
group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 8–20 cm long. The cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
are 9–22 cm long and 6–8 cm broad, with stout, thick scales. The seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s are large, 10–16 mm long and have only a vestigial wing; they are dispersed by Spotted Nutcracker
Spotted Nutcracker
The Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Nutcracker, or just Nutcracker, is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian Jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly a chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks...
s. The cones mature in their second year, this is a juvenile female cone:
The species has three varieties
Variety (biology)
In botanical nomenclature, variety is a taxonomic rank below that of species: as such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name....
:
- Pinus armandii var. armandii. All the range except for the populations below.
- Pinus armandii var. dabeshanensis. The Dabie ShanDabie ShanThe Dabie Mountains are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest-to-southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers...
mountains on the AnhuiAnhuiAnhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
-HubeiHubei' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
border. - Pinus armandii var. mastersiana. Mountains of central TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
The varieties dabeshanensis and mastersiana are both listed as endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
Chinese White Pine has also been reported in the past from Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
off the south coast of China, and two islands off southern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but these pines differ in a number of features and are now treated as distinct species, Hainan White Pine
Hainan White Pine
The Hainan White Pine or Fenzel's Pine, Pinus fenzeliana, is a tree endemic to the island of Hainan off southern China. This pine reaches heights of 20 m with a trunk 1m in diameter....
Pinus fenzeliana and Yakushima White Pine
Yakushima White Pine
The Yakushima White Pine is a native of southern Japan, on the islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima south of Kyūshū. It has also been grown horticulturally in Japanese parks...
Pinus amamiana respectively.
Uses
Chinese White Pine seeds are harvested and sold as pine nutPine nut
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines . About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food....
s. These nuts are responsible for "Pine Mouth Syndrome". The wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
is used for general building purposes; the species is important in forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s in some parts of China. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s and large garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The scientific name commemorates the French missionary and naturalist Armand David
Armand David
Father Armand David was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist.-General Biography:...
, who first introduced it to Europe.
In Chinese culture
The tree, on account of its evergreen foliage, is considered by the Chinese as an emblem of longevity and immortality. Its resin is considered an animated soul-substance, the counterpart of blood in men and animals. In ancient China, TaoistTaoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
seekers of immortality consumed much of the tree’s resin, hoping thereby to prolong life. Legend says that Qiu Sheng (仇生) who lived at the time of King Chengtang of Shang
Tang of Shang
King Cheng Tang of Shang was the first ruling king of the Shang dynasty in Chinese history. He overthrew Jie, the last ruler of the Xia dynasty.-Early life:...
(商成汤王) (reigned 1675-1646 BCE), founder of the Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
, was indebted for his longevity to pine-resin.. The Shouxing, Chinese God of Longevity (寿星), is usually represented standing at the foot of a pine, while a Fairy-crane
Red-crowned Crane
The Red-crowned Crane , also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane , is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world...
perches on a branch of the tree. In traditional pictures of "happiness, honor and longevity", (福禄寿三星), the pine-tree represents longevity, in the same manner as the bat symbolizes good fortune due to its homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
ic association with the Chinese character for good luck (福). A fungus, that the Chinese call Fu Ling grows on the root of the pine-tree, and is believed by the Chinese to suppress all sensations of hunger, cure various diseases, and lengthen life.