Species: Pinus armandii Franchet

(Pinus armandii Franchet)
-> Genus: Pinus -> Family: Pinaceae -> Group: Gymnosperms

Habitus

  • tree growing to a height of 15 - 25 m
  • crown wide conical when young, later flat, spreading
  • branches in whorls, long, horizontally protruding
  • bark gray, smooth

Leaves (assimilation organs)

  • assimilation organs are needle-like
  • needles are thin, 8 - 15 x 0.1 cm in size, slightly serrate at the edges, triangular in cross-section
  • grouped by 5 on brachyblasts (section Strobus) !
  • on branches are relatively sparsely grouped, they last 2 - 3 years on a branch

Flowers

  • wood is monoecious, flowers are unisex, blooms V – VI
  • ♂ cones are cylindrical, 10–12 mm long, light yellow, grouped at the base of this year's shoots
  • ♀ cones are 12–15 x 4 – 5 mm large, oblong ovoid, pink to reddish (later purple) on an 8 – 10 mm long stem, they grow singly, but also in whorls of 2 – 3 at the end of this year's shoots

Fruits – seeds

  • fruit is a cone 10 - 15 x 7 - 8 cm large, oblong-conical, green before ripening, yellow-brown after ripening
  • the labels are wrinkled on the surface
  • the umbilicus is on the lower edge of the label (section Strobus)
  • the seed is 10 - 12 x 4 - 5 mm large, ovoid, compressed with a sharp edge, wingless (only with a small blank)

Extension

  • China (Tibet, Taiwan), northern Myanmar
  • grows in mountainous areas and river basins, depending on the location at altitudes from 900 – 3,500 m above sea level
  • does not form homogeneous stands, mostly it is part of stands formed by species of the genus Picea, Abies, Larix, Pseudotsuga, Pinus, Tsuga, ...

Ecology

  • it is a sunny woody plant that does not tolerate shading
  • grows well on acidic soils (up to neutral pH soils)
  • partially frost-resistant (up to - 17 °C)

Significance

  • decorative tree with habit, long needles, but also fruits - cones