Pinus caribaea Morelet

Authority

Farjon, Aljos K. & Styles, Brian T. 1997. Pinus (Pinaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 75: 1-291. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Pinaceae

Scientific Name

Pinus caribaea Morelet

Description

Species Description - Tree, medium to tall, height to 20-35(-45) m, dbh to 50-100 cm. Trunk monopodial, erect, slender, terete. Bark rough, scaly, on lower part of trunk breaking into irregularly square plates divided by shallow or deep fissures (in part influenced by fire damage, see Hunt, 1962), grey-brown, inner bark reddish brown. Branches of first order slender, spreading or ascending; of second and higher orders similar, or drooping. Crown broad conical, open or irregular; usually a clear bole for 2/3 or ¾ of tree height. Shoots multinodal, very rough, resinous; with large, short decurrent and persistent pulvini. Cataphylls large, 15-20 mm long, subulate, strongly recurved, scarious, with hyaline-ciliate margins, dark brown, apex caudate, persisting some time after the leaf fascicles have fallen. Vegetative buds ovoid-oblong to cylindrical, 20-25 mm long, the laterals smaller, ovoid-acute, (slightly) resinous; scales spreading or recurved, scarious, with ciliate margins, brown. Fascicle sheaths 15-20 mm long, retaining their length or reduced to ca. 10 mm at maturity; the scales papery, with erose-ciliate margins, yellowish brown, turning dark red-brown or grey-black. Leaves in fascicles of (2-)3(-4, very rarely 5) in dense, irregularly spaced tufts, persisting 3 years, spreading, straight, (slightly) twisted, rigid, (12-)15-26(-28) cm X (1.2-) 1.4-1.8 mm, margins serrulate, apex acute-pungent, light or dark green (occasionally glaucous-green), more or less lustrous. Stomata conspicuous on all faces of leaves, in 8-11(-14) lines on the convex abaxial face and 4-6 lines on each adaxial face. Leaf anatomy: Cross section transverse-triangular; hypodermis multi-layered (3-5 rows of cells); resin ducts 2-5(-8), internal, rarely 1-2 medial; stele elliptic in cross section; outer cell walls of endodermis not thickened; vascular bundles 2, distinctly separate. Pollen cones clustered near the proximal end of a new shoot, sometimes more spreading by multinodal habit, subtended by imbricate, scarious, reddish brown bracts, cylindrical, often curved when mature, 20-30 X 5-6 mm, pink or yellow, turning yellowish or reddish brown. Seed cones subterminal, often in several whorls (nodes) in one season, mostly in pairs or whorls of 3-5(-8), on 2-2.5 cm long, curved, deciduous peduncles (sometimes breaking off at the base); immature cones ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 15-20 X 10-15 mm with pyramidal or curved, acuminate umbos terminating in an erect or incurvate spine, ochraceous, lustrous, maturing time two seasons. Mature cones pedunculate, ovoid-conical or ovoid when opened, more or less symmetrical but the base obliquely flattened, (4-)5-12(-13) X (3-)4-6(-7) cm when open. Seed scales ca. 120-200, parting to release the seeds except at the base, thin or thick, oblong, straight or recurved, dark purplish or blackish brown on the abaxial side, dark brown with faintly visible marks of seed wings on the adaxial side. Apophysis slightly or strongly raised or nearly flat on basal scales, rhombic to pentagonal in outline, transversely keeled, to 15 mm wide, ochraceous, light or dark brown, lustrous. Umbo dorsal, flat or slightly raised or pyramidal and curved upward, 3-4 mm wide, up to 3 mm high, with a minute, persistent prickle, dull brown, weathering grey. Seeds obliquely (narrowly) obovoid, slightly flattened, obtuse or angular, 5-7 X 2.5-3.5 mm, light grey-brown with dark spots, or dark brown to blackish. Seed wings articulate or adnate, effective, held to the seed by two claws or more commonly enveloping the seed on one side (adnate), obliquely ovate or oblong, 10-20 X 5-8 mm, thin, semi-transparent, yellowish grey or light brown with dark stripes. Cotyledons (4-)5-8(-9), (12-)20-35 mm long. Seedlings with an elongated stem, primary leaves green or glaucous, more or less ascending or spreading, soon replaced by secondary leaves or these delayed.

Distribution

Caribbean: Bahamas, Turks-Caicos Islands, W Cuba [including Isla de la Juventud (Isla de Pinos)]. Mesoamerica: Mexico (S Quintana Roo), N Guatemala, Belize, Honduras (incl. Islas de la Bahia), Nicaragua.

Bahamas South America| Turks and Caicos Islands South America| Cuba South America| Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Honduras Central America| Nicaragua Central America|