Pinus massoniana

For other plants also called Chinese red pine, see Chinese red pine.

Masson's pine
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pinus
Subgenus: P. subg. Pinus
Section: P. sect. Pinus
Subsection: P. subsect. Pinus
Species:
P. massoniana
Binomial name
Pinus massoniana

Pinus massoniana, commonly known as Masson's pine or Chinese red pine[2], is a species of pine, native to Taiwan, a wide area of central and southern China, including Hong Kong,[2] and northern Vietnam.

The specific Latin epithet massoniana refers to the distinctive shape of the species' leaves, which resemble a horse's tail. Hence, its Chinese common name 馬尾松, lit. 'horse-tail pine'.[2]

Description

bark close-up

It is an evergreen tree reaching 25–45 metres (82–148 feet) in height, with a broad, rounded crown of long branches. The bark is thick, grayish-brown, and scaly plated at the base of the trunk, and orange-red, thin, and flaking higher on the trunk. The leaves are needle-like, dark green, with two per fascicle, 12–20 centimetres (4+1⁄2–8 inches) long and 0.8–1 millimetre (1⁄32–3⁄64 in) wide, the persistent fascicle sheath 1.5–2 cm (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) long. The cones are ovoid, 4–7 cm (1+5⁄8–2+3⁄4 in) long, chestnut-brown, opening when mature in late winter to 4–6 cm (1+5⁄8–2+3⁄8 in) broad. The seeds are winged, 4–6 mm (5⁄32–1⁄4 in) long with a 10–15 mm (3⁄8–9⁄16 in) wing. Pollination occurs in mid-spring, with the cones maturing 18–20 months after.[3][4][5] From genomic sequencing it has an exceptionally large 21.91 Gb genome and 80,366 protein-coding genes.[6]

Life cycle

The species flowers from April to May, and fruits from October to December.[2]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to Taiwan, a wide area of central and southern China including Hong Kong, and northern Vietnam, growing at low to moderate altitudes, mostly below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) but rarely up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level.[7]

History

The species was once dominant in early Hong Kong and is the only pine native to the territory. In 1894, it was threatened by infestations of Masson pine caterpillar (Dendrolimus punctatus), whose outbreaks caused widespread defoliation and the death of many trees. The damage persisted until pesticide control measures were introduced in the 1950s.[2]During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, the species was extensively logged for fuel, leading to a further decline in its population.[2] Post-war reforestation efforts prioritized the planting of Taiwan acacia (Acacia confusa), brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), and slash pine (P. elliottii), which further diminished the presence of the native pine.[2]

Around 1970s,[a] the introduction of pinewood nematode from North America and pine-needle scale insect from Taiwan, together virtually eliminated the native P. massoniana in Hong Kong.[2][8] The slash pine has since substituted P. massoniana, because it is resistant to the pests.[2]

Fossil record

A fossil seed cone and several needles of P. massoniana have been described from the upper Miocene Wenshan flora, Yunnan, SW China. The fossils most resemble the variety P. massoniana var. hainanensis, which is a tropical montane thermophilic tree restricted to Hainan Island in southern China.[9]

Uses

The species is a common tree used in plantation forestry for replacing or compensating for the loss of the natural forest in southern China,[10] owing to its tolerance of poor soils and drought conditions.[2] Its rapid growth makes it a valuable source of timber, which is used for furniture, construction, and pulp production for paper.[2]

Pine trees (Pinus) are the primary source of rosin,[11] with P. massoniana being one of the principal species used for rosin production in China.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Allen Zhang (2023) proposed that the event occurred between the 1960s and 1970s,[2] while Richard Corlett placed it in the 1970s to 1980s.[8] Both, however, agree that the timeframe is around 1970s.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Farjon, A. (2013). "Pinus massoniana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T42379A2976356. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42379A2976356.en.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Zhang, Allen (2023). 香港100種景觀樹木圖鑑 [A Photographic Guide to 100 Ornamental Trees of Hong Kong] (in Traditional Chinese and English). Hong Kong: 萬里機構. pp. 27–29. ISBN 9789621474872.
  3. ^ Farjon, A. (2005). Pines, ed. 2. Brill, Leiden. ISBN 90-04-13916-8.
  4. ^ Richardson, D. M. (1998). Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-55176-5.
  5. ^ Gymnosperm Database: Pinus massoniana
  6. ^ Chen, Hu; Qin, Xinghu; Chen, Yinghao; Zhang, Haoyu; Feng, Yuanheng; Tan, Jianhui; Chen, Xinhua; Hu, La; Xie, Junkang; Xie, Jianbo; Yang, Zhangqi (1 January 2025). "Chromosome-level genome assembly of Pinus massoniana provides insights into conifer adaptive evolution". GigaScience. 14 giaf056. doi:10.1093/gigascience/giaf056. ISSN 2047-217X. PMC 12122422. PMID 40443099.
  7. ^ Mirov, N. T. (1967). The Genus Pinus. Ronald Press.
  8. ^ a b Corlett, Richard (July 2001). "Hong Kong's Bad Biodiversity". Porcupine (23). The University of Hong Kong.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ The occurrence of Pinus massoniana Lambert (Pinaceae) from the upper Miocene of Yunnan, SW China and its implications for paleogeography and paleoclimate by Jian-Wei Zhang, Ashalata D'Rozario, Jonathan M. Adams, Xiao-Qing Liang, Frédéric M.B. Jacquesa, Tao Su and Zhe-Kun Zhoua, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology Volume 215, April 2015, Pages 57-67
  10. ^ "Ecosystem services of various types of artificial forest in South China – a provisional summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Rosin: Major Sources, Properties and Applications", Monomers, Polymers and Composites from Renewable Resources, Elsevier, pp. 67–88, 1 January 2008, retrieved 20 February 2026
  12. ^ Yang, Zhangqi (2014). "马尾松不同年龄产脂量及松香组分分析" [Comparative Study on the Resin Yield and Rosin Components of Pinus massoniana Superior Provenances among Different Ages]. Scientia Silvae Sinicae (林业科学). 50 (6): 147–151.

General sources

allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_massoniana