Pinus coulteri
| Pinus coulteri | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 59' |
| Width: | 23' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pinus coulteri (common name: big-cone pine)
Propagation: It is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored seed[1]. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for their first winter or two[2]. Plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions the better they will grow[K]. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[3]. We actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well[K]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[3].
Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away[4].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils, including clay[4]. Prefers in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[5][2][6]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils[5]. Established plants tolerate drought[3].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[3].
A short-lived tree in Britain. It is slow to get established but it then grows strongly[6]. Of moderate growth in height with increases of about 30 - 40cm a year, but of rapid increase in girth, about 3 - 5cm a year[7]. Trees grow better in the southern part of the country[6].
Trees do not often bear cones in Britain[2][4]. A tree planted in 1954 at Kew was about 12 metres tall in September 1993 and was carrying a number of large cones[K]. The summer had been cool and damp[K]. The same tree had another good crop of cones in the autumn of 1996 and continues to cone quite well in 1999[K]. An 11 year old tree at Kew had two small female cones in January 1999[K].
The fresh cones can weigh 2.2 kilos and when dried in a warm room for a year or so still weigh ½ kilo. The cones open and shed their seed whist still attached to the tree[8]. The seeds are ejected explosively from the dry cone over a period of several weeks[7]. The cones are 25 - 35cm long[9], they can hang on the tree for a number of years with their seed intact[4].
This species is closely related to P. sabiniana[10].
Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants below the tree[11].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[3]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[3].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[3].
Range: South-western N. America - California to N.W. Mexico.
Habitat: Scattered singly or in small groves in coniferous forests on dry rocky slopes and ridges to 2000 metres[12][9] in the coastal mountains of California and N.W. Mexico[3].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[13][14][15][16][17]. Large[18], individual seeds are up to 15mm x 8mm[3]. The oil-rich seed has a delicious taste with a slightly resinous flavour, it used to be gathered in large quantities by the local Indians who ate it as a staple food[9].
A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are released from the pulpwood[3].
Medicinal: The turpentine obtained from the resin of all pine trees is antiseptic, diuretic, rubefacient and vermifuge[19]. It is a valuable remedy used internally in the treatment of kidney and bladder complaints and is used both internally and as a rub and steam bath in the treatment of rheumatic affections[19]. It is also very beneficial to the respiratory system and so is useful in treating diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza and TB[19]. Externally it is a very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, boils etc and is used in the form of liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths and inhalers[19].
Usage: A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles[20].
The needles contain a substance called terpene, this is released when rain washes over the needles and it has a negative effect on the germination of some plants, including wheat[21].
Oleo-resins are present in the tissues of all species of pines, but these are often not present in sufficient quantity to make their extraction economically worthwhile[22]. The resins are obtained by tapping the trunk, or by destructive distillation of the wood[19][22]. In general, trees from warmer areas of distribution give the higher yields[22]. Turpentine consists of an average of 20% of the oleo-resin[22] and is separated by distillation[19][22]. Turpentine has a wide range of uses including as a solvent for waxes etc, for making varnish, medicinal etc[19]. Rosin is the substance left after turpentine is removed. This is used by violinists on their bows and also in making sealing wax, varnish etc[19]. Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a wood preservative etc.
Wood - coarse-grained, light, soft, not strong. Occasionally used for fuel and second class lumber[9][23][10].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Winter-Late Winter
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[24].
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. Royal Horticultural Society, 1980.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ Balls, Edward. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press, 1975.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Howes, Frank. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Chronica Botanica, 1949.
- ↑ Coyle, Jeanette. A Field Guide to the Common and Interesting Plants of Baja California. Natural History Publishing, 1975.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.