| Bhutan white pine | |
|---|---|
| |
| Himalayan buzzard (Buteo burmanicus) on Pinus bhutanica | |
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | P. subg. Strobus |
| Section: | P. sect. Quinquefoliae |
| Subsection: | P. subsect. Strobus |
| Species: | P. bhutanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinus bhutanica Grierson, Long & Page | |
Pinus bhutanica, which may be called the Bhutan white pine, is a tree restricted to Bhutan and adjacent parts of northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh) and southwest China (Yunnan and Tibet). Along with the related Pinus wallichiana it is a constituent of lower altitude blue pine forests. This pine reaches a height of 25 meters. Note that P. wallichiana is sometimes called by the common name 'Bhutan pine'.
The needles are in bundles of five, up to 25 cm long. The cones are 12–20 cm in length, with thin scales; the seeds are 5–6 mm long, with a 20–25 mm wing. It differs from P. wallichiana in the much longer, strongly drooping needles, and the cones being slightly smaller and red-brown, rather than yellow-buff, when mature. It is also adapted to generally warmer, wetter climates at lower altitudes, with an intense summer monsoon. Despite the two being closely related and at least occasionally growing together, no hybrids or intermediates have ever been reported.
References
- ^ Zhang, D.; Katsuki, T.; Rushforth, K. (2013). "Pinus bhutanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T42555A2987778. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42555A2987778.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- Zsolt Debreczy; Istvan Racz (2012). Kathy Musial (ed.). Conifers Around the World (1st ed.). DendroPress. p. 1089. ISBN 978-9632190617.
Further reading
- Grierson, A. J. C., D. G. Long, and C. N. Page. "Notes relating to the flora of Bhutan:(III). Pinus bhutanica: a new 5-needle pine from Bhutan and India." Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 38.2 (1980): 297-310.