| Pinus brutia | |
|---|---|
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| Turkish pine near Mersin, Turkey | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | P. subg.Pinus |
| Section: | P.sect. Pinus |
| Subsection: | Pinus subsect.Pinaster |
| Species: | P. brutia |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinus brutia | |
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| Distribution | |
Pinus brutia, commonly known as theTurkish pine andCalabrian pine, is a species ofpine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, with smaller populations occuring in Crete, Cyprus, Crimea, the western Caucasus, and Azerbaijan; it is alsonaturalised as far east as Afghanistan and Pakistan.[2] It is also known asEast Mediterranean pine,Afghan pine, andBrutia pine. The name "Calabrian pine" comes from an introduced grove in the region ofCalabria in southern Italy; historically this region was calledBruttium, which is likely where thespecific epithet "brutia" comes from.[2]Pinus brutia bears many similarities with other, closely related species such asPinus halepensis andPinus canariensis. Turkish pine forms a species complex with the former.[3]
Pinus brutia is a medium-sized tree, reaching 20–35 metres (66–115 feet) tall with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft), exceptionally2 m (6+1⁄2 ft). The youngbark is thin and red-orange, maturing to grey-brown to orange, fissured to flaky in texture. The leaves are needle-like, slender, 10–18 centimetres (4–7 inches) long, dark green to yellow-green.[2][4] The needles are in fascicles of two, or rarely three.[2][5]
The male cones are squat, 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long.[4][6] The female cones are short, with rigid, woody scales, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long, 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) broad, maturing from green to red-orange; occasional specimens show similarities in cone structure to the relatedPinus canariensis.[2][5][6] They most often appear in whorls of 3 to 4, and mature in two years after pollination.[2][6] The seeds are usually wind dispersed, dropping from the cones after they open, but some trees have been observed with cones that do not open enough to facilitate wind dispersal. TheKrüper's nuthatch may assist these trees in dispersal.[2]
The Italian botanistMichele Tenore described the species in 1811. While Tenore did not provide an explanation for the specific epithet, it was likely named after the historical region of Brut(t)ium, now Calabria, where an introduced population has become naturalised.[2]
Pinus brutia is closely related toPinus halepensis, and femaleP. brutia cones have been shown to accept and hybridise withP. halepensis pollen. In the past it has been considered a variety or subspecies ofP. halepensis.[5] The species is now treated as distinct, and forms a species complex across the Mediterranean withP. halepensis.[3]
The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but it also extends to southeasternmost Bulgaria,[10] the East Aegean Islands ofAegean Sea,Crete,Crimea, Iran,Georgia,Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, western Syria, Lebanon andCyprus.[11] It generally occurs at low altitudes, mostly from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft) in northern Turkey, up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in the south of its range.[2]
Pinus brutia is a diagnostic species of the vegetation classPinetea halepensis.[12]
TheKrüper's nuthatch, a rarenuthatch, is largely restricted to forests of Turkish pine and depends heavily on it for feeding; the ranges of the two species are largely coincident.[13]
P. brutia is resistant to the Israeli pine bast scale insectMatsucoccus josephi and is a major host forThaumetopoea caterpillars.
The species covers 175,000 hectares (430,000 acres) in Cyprus, roughly ~90% of all woodland coverage on the island.[14] It formsectomycorrhizal associations with numerous species of fungi, and its logs and branches are excellent substrates for many kinds of decomposing organisms.
Turkish pine is host to a sap-suckingaphidMarchalina hellenica. Under normal circumstances, this insect does no significant damage to the pine, but is of great importance for the excess sugar it secretes. This sugar, "honeydew", is collected byhoney bees which make it into a richly flavoured and valuable honey, "pine honey" (Turkish,çam balı), with reputed medicinal benefits.
The "Lone Pine", a prominent landmark tree at anANZACFirst World War battle atGallipoli, was this species. Cones from the battlefield were taken home to Australia, and plants sourced from the seeds were planted as living memorials.
"Lone Pine" memorials, based on cones brought back from Gallipoli, may use this species orAleppo pine. Some memorials utilise other species altogether.[15]
It is widely planted for timber, both in its native area (it is the most important tree inforestry in Turkey and Cyprus) and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region east to Pakistan.The timber is used for many purposes including carpentry, industry, general constructions, firewood and pulp.[16] In Israel it is sometimes preferred to the more widely-usedPinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) because of its resistance toMatsucoccus josephi. It is also known for being well suited to recreational sites.
Pinus brutia is a popularornamental tree, extensively planted in parks and gardens in hot dry areas (such as southernCalifornia,Utah,New Mexico andNevada, as well as throughoutArizona and centralTexas in the United States), where its considerable heat and drought tolerance is highly valued. The subspecieseldarica is the most drought tolerant form, used in Afghanistan, Iran and more recently in theSouthwestern United States. In this region,P. brutia subsp.eldarica is referred to as "Eldarica pine", "Afghan pine" or "Mondell pine" (after Mondell Bennett, a commercial tree grower in New Mexico who popularised the species starting in 1969).[17]
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