Pinaceae Spreng. ex Rudolphi

Pine family (en), Pinacées (fr)

Family

Gymnosperms > Pinales

Characteristics

Trees (occasionally shrubs), evergreen (annually deciduous in Larix ), resinous and aromatic, monoecious. Bark smooth to scaly or furrowed. Lateral branches well developed and similar to leading (long) shoots or reduced to well-defined short (spur) shoots ( Pinus , Larix ); twigs terete, sometimes clothed by persistent primary leaves or leaf bases; longest internodes less than 1cm; buds conspicuous. Roots fibrous to woody, unspecialized. Leaves (needles) simple, shed singly (except whole fascicles shed in Pinus ), alternate and spirally arranged but sometimes proximally twisted so as to appear 1-or 2-ranked, or fascicled, linear to needlelike, sessile to short-petiolate; foliage leaves either borne singly (spirally) on long shoots or in tufts (fascicles) on short shoots; juvenile leaves (when present) borne on long shoots, scalelike; resin canals present. Pollen cones maturing and shed annually, solitary or clustered, axillary, ovoid to ellipsoid or cylindric; sporophylls overlapping, bearing 2 abaxial microsporangia (pollen sacs); pollen spheric, 2-winged, less commonly with wings reduced to frill (in Tsuga sect. Tsuga ), or not winged (in Larix and Pseudotsuga ). Seed cones maturing and shed in 1--3 seasons or long-persistent, sometimes serotinous (not opening upon maturity but much later: Pinus ), compound, axillary, solitary or grouped; scales overlapping, free from subtending included or exserted bracts for most of length, spirally arranged, strongly flattened, at maturity relatively thin to strongly thickened and woody (in Pinus ), with 2 inverted, adaxial ovules. Seeds 2 per scale, elongate terminal wing partially decurrent on seed body (wing short or absent in some species of Pinus ); aril lacking; cotyledons 2--12[--18].
More
Trees or rarely shrubs, evergreen or deciduous, monoecious. Branchlets often dimorphic: long branchlets with clearly spirally arranged, sometimes scalelike leaves; short branchlets often reduced to slow growing lateral spurs bearing dense clusters of leaves at apex. Leaves solitary or in bundles of (1 or)2-5(-8) when basally subtended by a leaf sheath; leaf blade linear or needlelike, not decurrent. Cones unisexual. Pollen cones solitary or clustered, with numerous spirally arranged microsporophylls; microsporophyll with 2 microsporangia; pollen usually 2-saccate (nonsaccate in Cedrus, Larix, Pseudotsuga, and most species of Tsuga). Seed cones erect or pendulous, maturing in 1st, 2nd, or occasionally 3rd year, dehiscent or occasionally indehiscent, with many spirally arranged ovulate scales and bracts; ovulate scales usually smaller than bracts at pollination, with 2 upright ovules adaxially, free or only basally adnate with bracts, maturing into seed scales. Seed scales appressed, woody or leathery, variable in shape and size, with 2 seeds adaxially, persistent or deciduous after cone maturity. Bracts free or adnate basally with seed scales, well developed or rudimentary, exserted or included. Seeds terminally winged (except in some species of Pinus). Cotyledons 2-18. Germination hypogeal or epigeal. 2n = 24* (almost always).
Monoecious highly resinous trees or shrubs, usually with regularly whorled branching. Leaves deciduous or evergreen, linear, acicular or dimorphic (bract-like and acicular), on specialised short shoots; shoots usually with terminal, often resinous, scaly resting buds. Male cones lateral, comprising numerous spirally arranged fertile scales; each scale with 2 abaxial microsporangia; pollen winged, with 2 air sacs (except in Larix Mill. and Pseudotsuga Carrière). Female cones terminal on specialised lateral shoots, comprising numerous spirally arranged imbricate woody or dry fertile scales; each scale with a free bract and 2 inverted adaxial ovules. Seeds mostly with a single terminal wing. Germination phanerocotular. Cotyledons 3-18.
Life form annual
Growth form
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.5
Mature height (meter) 2.5
Root system fibrous-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light 4-7
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-11

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Pinaceae unspecified picture
Pinaceae unspecified picture
Pinaceae unspecified picture

Distribution

Pinaceae world distribution map, present in Australia and China

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000468-2
WFO ID wfo-7000000470
COL ID 625M7
BDTFX ID 100946
INPN ID 187213
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Pinaceae

Lower taxons

Cathaya Tsuga Pinus Pseudotsuga Keteleeria Pseudolarix Larix Abies Cedrus Picea Nothotsuga