Maritime pine

Appearance

''Pinus pinaster'' is a medium-size tree, reaching 20–35 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1.2 m, exceptionally 1.8 m.

The bark is orange-red, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, somewhat thinner in the upper crown.

The leaves are in pairs, very stout , up to 25 cm long, and bluish-green to distinctly yellowish-green. The maritime pine features the longest and most robust needles of all European pine species.

The cones are conic, 10–20 cm long and 4–6 cm broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next few years, or after being heated by a forest fire, to release the seeds, opening to 8–12 cm broad.

The seeds are 8–10 mm long, with a 20–25 mm wing, and are wind-dispersed.

Maritime pine is closely related to Turkish pine, Canary Island pine and Aleppo pine, which all share many features with it. It is a relatively non-variable species, with constant morphology over the entire range.

Distribution

The range extends from Portugal and Northern Spain to southern and Western France, east to western Italy, Croatia and south to northern Morocco. It generally occurs at low to moderate altitudes, mostly from sea level to 600 m, but up to 2000 m in the south of its range in Morocco. The high degree of fragmentation in the current natural distribution is caused by two factors: the discontinuity and altitude of the mountain ranges causing isolation of even close populations, and human activity.

Habitat

''P. pinaster'' is particularly successful in regions with fynbos vegetation because it is adapted to high-intensity fires, thus allowing it to outcompete other species that are not as well adapted to high-intensity fires. In areas of fire-prone shrubland, the cones of ''P. pinaster'' will release seeds when in a relatively high-temperature environment for germination as a recovery mechanism. This adaptation increases the competitive ability of ''P. pinaster'' amongst other species in the fire-prone shrubland. In a 3-year observational study done in Northwestern Spain, ''P. pinaster'' showed a naturally high regeneration rate. Observations showed a mean of 25.25 seedlings/m^2 within the first year and then slowly decreased the next two years due to intraspecific competition. So not only does ''P. pinaster'' compete with other species, they also compete within their own species as well. When the height of ''P. pinaster'' increased there was a negative correlation with the number of ''P. pinaster'' seedlings, results showed a decrease in ''P. pinaster'' seedlings (r=-0.41, p

Evolution

The native area that this species of pine, ''Pinus pinaster'', originates from is the Mediterranean Basin, including Northern Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

''P. pinaster'' is a popular topic in ecology because of its problematic growth and spread in South Africa for the past 150 years after being imported into the region at the end of the 17th century . It was also found spreading in Cape Peninsula by 1772. Towards the end of the 18th century , ''P. pinaster'' was widely planted, and at the beginning of the 19th century , ''P. pinaster'' was planted commercially as a timber resource and for the forestry industry. The pine tree species invades large areas and more specifically fynbos vegetation. Fynbos vegetation is a fire-prone shrubland vegetation that is found in the southern and southwest cape of South Africa. It is found in greater abundance close to watercourses. Dispersal, habitat loss, and fecundity are all factors that affect spread rate. The species favors acidic soils with medium to high-density vegetation, but it can also grow in basic soils and even in sandy and poor soils, where only few commercial species can grow.

Uses

''Pinus pinaster'' is widely planted for timber in its native area, being one of the most important trees in forestry in France, Spain and Portugal. Landes forest in southwest France is the largest man-made maritime pine forest in Europe. ''Pinus pinaster'' resin is also a useful source of turpentine and rosin.

In addition to industrial uses, maritime pine is also a popular ornamental tree, often planted in parks and gardens in areas with warm temperate climates. It has become naturalised in parts of southern England, Argentina, South Africa and Australia.

It is also used as a source of flavonoids, catechins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids. A dietary supplement derived from extracts from ''Pinus pinaster'' bark called Pycnogenol is marketed with claims it can treat many conditions; however, according to a 2012 Cochrane review, the evidence is insufficient to support its use for the treatment of any chronic disorder.