Pinus uncinata or black pine is a coniferous tree belonging to the Pinaceae family. The seed cones have a backward curved, hooked process. Its natural habitat is the mountains of Western Europe.
It grows in humid soils, located at altitudes above 1,000 meters above sea level. It is a species tolerant of cold temperatures. Its height ranges between 10 and 20 meters. The cup is conical, pyramidal, with some ramifications at its base. Its trunk is cylindrical in shape and grows straight, although on some occasions they can develop in a tortuous way..
The forests of Pinus uncinata they form habitats that favor the growth of a community of plants and animals, such as the grouse. It is very sensitive to environmental changes; the increase in temperature and the alterations in the rainy seasons have a significant impact on its development and distribution.
It is a slow growing species, but it is very long-lived. Specimens can be found over 400 years old, although after 120 years they begin to lose their ability to reproduce..
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This species grows to a height between 12 and 20 meters. Its trunk measures 0.5 to 1 meter. It is straight, growing erect, column-shaped. It has an ovoid-conical crown.
The bark is thick at the base of the tree and its color is greyish. It is divided into several angular squamous plates.
They are uninodal, with shades ranging from gray to dark red. The buds are reddish brown in color, measuring between 6 and 9 mm long. They are resinous and ovoid-conical in shape.
These organs of the plant are born in fascicles of two, although sometimes they can be found, around the buds of the apex, in groups of three. Its color is green, being in dark and bright tones. Growth is in a straight line, with a slight twist.
They measure between 23 and 75 mm long by 0.9 or 2.1 mm thick. They have a gray leaf sheath, which persists between 4 to 9 years on the tree.
The leaves form a dense, dark foliage from which it derives its name: black pine. The cup is shaped like a cone or pyramid, which allows you to avoid damage caused by the weight of snow or strong winds.
The pollen cones are about 10 millimeters long and are yellow or reddish in color. The pollen contained in them is released in the months of May to July.
The cones where the seeds are found, once ripe, are dark brown. They are asymmetrical, having a length between 25 and 60 mm, and a width of 20 to 40 mm. These can be dislodged from the tree after the seeds are released..
These reproductive structures are black, and may have stripes of the same color but in a more intense hue. The body measures between 3 and 4 mm, and the wing about 7 or 12 mm.
The species Pinus uncinata It is originally from Europe. It can develop in areas with elevations between 1000 and 2300 m.a.s.l. Occasionally they could be found both at 200 m.a.s.l., as well as in areas covered with ice, the limit of their resistance to cold being -23.3 ° C.
It is naturally found in the central and western part of the Alps. In the Iberian Peninsula they are located in the Pyrenees, from the Navarro de Roncal Valley to the Girona area. They can also be located in some mountainous areas of the Iberian system, whose altitudes are between 1500 and 2000 m.
There are also cultivated areas of black pine. These are found in the Sierra Nevada, a mountainous massif that belongs to the Betic mountain range, and in the Sierra de los Filabres, in the Spanish province of Almería..
In addition, they are also distributed in the Sierra de Guadarrama, which is made up of an Iberian mountain group.
In central France there is an isolated population of black pine that was introduced by man during the 19th century. Thanks to reforestation programs, large tracts of land have been planted. Pinus uncinata in the Mediterranean and northern Europe.
The species known as black pine can adapt to the cold and dry air of mountainous areas. In these regions it grows forming pure forests, although it can also be found coexisting with other plant species. When mixed with other trees in the same habitat, the black pine is frequently the dominant species.
When it is in the lower elevations they are usually mixed with the Pinus sylvestris and with fir. Towards the Atlantic areas they are joined with birch trees (Betula pendula Roth. Y Betula pubescens Ehrh.)
If they are open regions or where they have undergone modifications that create clearings in the terrain, they can be found together with rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.). In addition, they can also form wooded groups with species of rhododendrons, creeping junipers and lingonberries..
The Pinus uncinata it can develop on slopes with stony ground, in crevices and even in peat bogs. In the Pyrenees it can be found in four natural habitats:
Black pines are autotrophic beings, that is, they are capable of producing their own food. They do this thanks to the photosynthesis process that takes place in their leaves. Nutrition comprises the following processes:
The tree takes substances such as water and mineral salts from the ground using its roots. The root system of the Pinus uncinata consists of a large number of short, thick lateral roots.
These spread and branch, frequently penetrating the cracks in the rocks where it lives. The mixture between water and mineral salts forms the raw sap.
In photosynthesis, the plant takes the raw sap and carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment and, using the energy from sunlight, transforms them into glucose and oxygen, which is released into the environment. The final product is the processed sap.
This process occurs in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast. These membranes are made up of multiprotein complexes that participate in capturing sunlight and in photosynthetic electron transport. The efficiency of photosynthesis is influenced by the presence of light-gathering proteins.
In recent research, it has been observed that conifers, a group to which the Pinus uncinata, they lack two light-absorbing proteins (Lhcb6 and Lhcb3). These are present in the rest of the plant groups.
Scientific work maintains that the proteins Lhcb6 and Lhcb3 are not found in the gymnosperm genera Picea, Pinus (family Pinaceae) and Gnetum (Gnetales). This opens the way to future research where the advantage that this protein absence brings to conifers is established..
The plant consists of a system of woody vessels that transport the substances throughout the plant. The xylem is responsible for carrying water and mineral salts (raw sap) from the root to the other parts of the plant.
The phloem carries the elaborated sap, where the glucose molecules are. These are the main source of energy for plants.
The species Pinus uncinata produces specific structures for its reproduction, known as cones. There are male cones and female cones, both are found in the same tree, typical of monoecious plants, but in different branches..
Male cones are small and have microsporophilic, modified, scale-shaped leaves. In each of these there are two pollen sacs, known as microsporangia.
In these sacs, the cell division known as meiosis occurs, which originates the pollen grains that will be released when they are mature. Pollen has two vesicles that evacuate towards the walls. These are filled with air, being able to facilitate their transport through the environment, as a result of the action of the wind..
The female cones are produced during the winter, to develop and be mature in the spring, where pollination will occur.
This structure has a central axis with scales, arranged in a spiral. These scales can be tectric and ovuliferous. Each of the latter has, in the upper part, two ovules or megasporangia.
The ovule is made up of a mass of nucellar tissue and is surrounded by an integument. The micropylar end is oriented towards the central axis of the ovule.
In the megasporic cell, meiosis occurs, thus forming four megaspores, of which three degenerate. The functional megaspore increases in size, occupying much of the nucela.
The pollen located in the male cones is transferred to the megaspore thanks to the wind and by the action of insects, which carry them attached to their legs..
During pollination, the megaspore exudes a sticky liquid called a pollination drop, whose function is to trap the pollen and direct it to the ovule..
The seeds begin to form, when they reach maturity, the cones open and the seeds come out. Some fall to the ground and germinate, while others are ingested by animals.
These, when they defecate, expel the seeds in other areas by spreading. Those that are trapped in the cone, come out of it when it falls to the ground or when it is moved by an animal.
Its wood is compact, presenting a fine grain. This allows it to be easily worked, making the final product of good quality. It is used in the construction area, in carpentry and as a combustible material..
In the Pyrenees, where large areas of this tree are found, its wood is used by artisans in the turnery, to build musical instruments and make small pieces of carpentry..
The properties of the wood of the Pinus uncinata They are known for the lumber industry. However, the majority of the general and specialized public, such as architects and builders, are unaware of the advantages of its use..
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