Pinus canariensis
Pinus canariensis
Safety & Hazards
The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[ 222 Title A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Publication Author Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. Year 1990 ISBN 0395467225 Description A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties. ].
Botanical Description
Pinus canariensis is an evergreen tree with a usually open crown of regular, candelabra-like upswept branches; it usually grows up to 40 metres tall, occasionally reaching 60 metres. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 100 - 120cm in diameter[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. The tree used to be widely harvested for its good quality wood in the Canary Islands, but is now protected and cannot be cut down. It is cultivated as a timber crop in some other warm temperate areas such as S. Africa and southeast Australia, and is also grown as an ornamental. Pinus canariensis is abundant on Tenerife where it is clearly recovering from past over-cutting. There is no evidence of cutting or recent fires and the authorities are well aware of the importance of retaining forest cover on the extremely permeable volcanic 'soil' of the island in order to ensure water supplies. Exploitation of its timber has been banned and this ban is strictly enforced. Similar improvements have occurred on other islands. Past decline has not only been halted, it has been reversed due to active management and protection. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. In Australia and South Africa it has escaped cultivation and is actively invading (i.e., naturally regenerating) in native habitats of mallee shrubland and heath (in Western Australia) and fynbos and forest (in South Africa)[ 329 Title The Gymnosperm Database Publication Author Website http://www.conifers.org/index.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms. ].