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Pinus radiata

Monterey pine

Monterey pine, insignis pine, radiata pine (Eng), pino de Monterrey, pino insigne (Spa), pi insigne (Cat), intsinis pinua (Baq), piñeiro de Monterrei, piñeiro insigne (Glg), pinheiro-insigne, pinheiro-de-Monterey (Por).

Non-native

DID YOU KNOW...? It is very easy to differentiate this tree from other pines because its acicular leaves are grouped into threes whereas in native species they are in twos.

DESCRIPTION

This pine can be up to 50 m tall, but normally does not exceed 25 m in height on the Iberian Peninsula. The 7-15 cm long leaves are acicular and develop in groups of three, differentiating it from the other species considered in this guide. The cones are very symmetrical, around 4-8 cm long, and their stalk is very short or absent, so that they appear to sit on the twigs. The pine nuts are very small and, when the ripe cone opens, they exit using a membranous wing that facilitates their dispersion by the wind.

ECOLOGY

This species grows in temperate and humid climates with mild winters. It does not withstand frost well and is also very prone to attack by the processionary caterpillar. It mainly grows on acidic soils, from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

DISTRIBUTION

This pine is native to the south coast of California, but is widely distributed due to its use in reforestation, mainly in the northern and west-central part of the peninsula, where it even shapes the landscape and becomes established in the wild.