Turkish Pine
Encyclopedia
Pinus brutia, the Turkish pine, is a pine
native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey
, but it also extends to the East Aegean Islands of Greece
, the Crimea
, Iran
, Georgia
, Azerbaijan
, northern Iraq
, western Syria
, Lebanon
, and Cyprus
. It generally occurs at low altitudes, mostly from sea level to 600 metres (1,968.5 ft), up to 1200 metres (3,937 ft) in the south of its range.
Turkish Pine is also known by several other common names, Calabrian Pine (from a naturalised population of the pine in Calabria
in southern Italy
, from where the pine was first botanically described), East Mediterranean Pine and Brutia Pine.
, reaching 20–35 m (65.6–114.8 ft) tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 metres (3.3 ft), exceptionally 2 metres (6.6 ft). The bark is orange-red, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, and thin and flaky in the upper crown. The leaves
('needles') are in pairs, slender, mostly 10-16 cm long, bright green to slightly yellowish green.
The cones
are stout, heavy and hard, 6-11 cm long and 4-5 cm broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next year or two to release the seeds, opening to 5-8 cm broad. The seeds are 7-8 mm long, with a 15-20 mm wing, and are mainly wind-dispersed.
, Canary Island Pine
and Maritime Pine
, which all share many features with it. Some authors have treated it as a subspecies of Aleppo Pine, but it is usually regarded as a distinct species. It is a moderately variable species, and the following subspecies and varieties are named:
The Eldar Pine is treated as a species (Pinus eldarica) by some authors; it is adapted to a drier climate with a summer rainfall peak, whereas subsp. brutia is adapted to a climate with mainly winter rainfall.
, 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.
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 Honeybees 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.
Forestry
It is widely planted for timber, both in its native area (it is the most important tree in forestry
in Turkey) and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region east to Pakistan
.
, Arizona
, and west 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 Arizona, California, and Texas. In the United States Pinus brutia subsp. eldarica is usually referred to as either "Eldarica Pine" or "Afghan 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 the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, but it also extends to the East Aegean Islands of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, western Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It generally occurs at low altitudes, mostly from sea level to 600 metres (1,968.5 ft), up to 1200 metres (3,937 ft) in the south of its range.
Turkish Pine is also known by several other common names, Calabrian Pine (from a naturalised population of the pine in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, from where the pine was first botanically described), East Mediterranean Pine and Brutia Pine.
Description
Pinus brutia is a medium-size treeTree
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 20–35 m (65.6–114.8 ft) tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1 metres (3.3 ft), exceptionally 2 metres (6.6 ft). The bark is orange-red, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, and thin and flaky in the upper crown. 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 pairs, slender, mostly 10-16 cm long, bright green to slightly yellowish green.
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 stout, heavy and hard, 6-11 cm long and 4-5 cm broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next year or two to release the seeds, opening to 5-8 cm broad. The seeds are 7-8 mm long, with a 15-20 mm wing, and are mainly wind-dispersed.
Subspecies
Pinus brutia, Turkish Pine, is closely related to Aleppo PineAleppo Pine
Pinus halepensis, commonly known as the Aleppo Pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Their range extends from Morocco and Spain north to southern France, Italy and Croatia, and east to Greece and northern Tunisia, and Libya, with an outlying population in Syria, Lebanon, southern...
, Canary Island Pine
Canary Island Pine
Pinus canariensis, the Canary Island Pine, is a species in the genus Pinus, family Pinaceae, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a subtropical pine and does not tolerate low temperatures or hard frost, surviving temperatures down to about −6 to...
and Maritime Pine
Maritime Pine
Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern Mediterranean region. The pejorative name 'pinaster' is derived from pinus + aster, translating as 'a poor imitation of a pine' Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern...
, which all share many features with it. Some authors have treated it as a subspecies of Aleppo Pine, but it is usually regarded as a distinct species. It is a moderately variable species, and the following subspecies and varieties are named:
- Pinus brutia subsp. brutia var. brutia (typical form; most of the range)
- Pinus brutia subsp. brutia var. pityusa (Georgia and adjacent Russian Black Sea coast; barely distinct from the type)
- Pinus brutia subsp. brutia var. stankewiczii (Crimea; barely distinct from the type)
- Pinus brutia subsp. brutia var. pendulifolia (southern coastal Turkey; needles 20-29 cm, pendulous)
- Pinus brutia subsp. eldarica (Eldar Pine; Azerbaijan; Georgia; needles 8-14 cm, cones 5-9 cm).
The Eldar Pine is treated as a species (Pinus eldarica) by some authors; it is adapted to a drier climate with a summer rainfall peak, whereas subsp. brutia is adapted to a climate with mainly winter rainfall.
Ecology
The Krüper's NuthatchKrüper's Nuthatch
The Krüper's Nuthatch, Sitta krueperi, is a small nuthatch. The name commemorates the German naturalist Theodor Johannes Krüper.thumb|left|Illustration by [[Joseph Wolf]], 1865-Distribution and habitat:...
, a rare nuthatch
Nuthatch
The nuthatches are a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs...
, is largely restricted to forests of Turkish Pine and depends heavily on it for feeding; the ranges of the two species are largely coincident.
Uses
HoneyTurkish Pine is host to a sap-sucking aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
Marchalina hellenica
Marchalina hellenica
Marchalina hellenica is an Scale insect that lives in the eastern Mediterranean region, mainly in Greece and Turkey. It lives by sucking the sap of pine trees, mainly the Turkish Pine and, to smaller extent, Aleppo Pine , Scots Pine and Stone Pine...
. Under normal circumstances, this insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
does no significant damage to the pine, but is of great importance for the excess sugar it secretes. This sugar, "honeydew
Honeydew (secretion)
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem, the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the gut's terminal opening. Honeydew is particularly common as a secretion in the Hemipteran...
", is collected by Honeybees which make it into a richly flavoured and valuable honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, "pine honey" (Turkish, çam balı), with reputed medicinal benefits.
Landmark
The "Lone Pine
Lone Pine (tree)
The Lone Pine was the name given to a solitary tree on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, which marked the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in 1915...
", a prominent landmark tree at an ANZAC
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
battle at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, was this species. Cones from the battlefield were taken home to Australia, and plants sourced from the seeds were planted as living memorials.
Forestry
It is widely planted for timber, both in its native area (it is the most important tree 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...
in Turkey) and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region east to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Cultivation
Pinus brutia is a popular ornamental tree, extensively planted in parks and gardens in hot dry areas (such as southern CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and west and central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), where its considerable heat and drought tolerance is highly valued. The subspecies eldarica is the most drought tolerant form, used in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and more recently in Arizona, California, and Texas. In the United States Pinus brutia subsp. eldarica is usually referred to as either "Eldarica Pine" or "Afghan Pine".