Vietnamese White Pine
Encyclopedia
The Vietnamese White Pine, Pinus dalatensis, is a species of pine
endemic to Vietnam
, where it grows in the mountains of the central and south-central parts of the country at 1,400-2,300 m altitude.
tree growing to 30–40 m tall. 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. The needles are finely serrated, and (3-)5–14 cm long.
The cones
are slender, 6–23 cm long and 2–4 cm broad (closed), opening to 3–9 cm broad; the scales are thin and flexible. The seeds are small, 6–8 mm long, and have a long slender wing 18–25 mm long. It is most closely related to the Blue Pine
Pinus wallichiana from the Himalaya.
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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:...
endemic to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, where it grows in the mountains of the central and south-central parts of the country at 1,400-2,300 m altitude.
Description
Pinus dalatensis is a medium-sized evergreenEvergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree growing to 30–40 m tall. 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. The needles are finely serrated, and (3-)5–14 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 slender, 6–23 cm long and 2–4 cm broad (closed), opening to 3–9 cm broad; the scales are thin and flexible. The seeds are small, 6–8 mm long, and have a long slender wing 18–25 mm long. It is most closely related to the Blue Pine
Blue Pine
Pinus wallichiana is a pine native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan east across northern Pakistan and India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows at high altitudes in mountain valleys at altitudes of 1800–4300 m , and is a tree from 30–50 m in height...
Pinus wallichiana from the Himalaya.
Subspecies
It is divided into two subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
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- Pinus dalatensis subsp. dalatensis. Da Lat region, between 11°50'N and 12°30'N. Cones 6–17 cm long.
- Pinus dalatensis subsp. procera Businský. Central Vietnam, between 15°00'N and 16°20'N. Cones 13–23 cm long.