Woody > Pinus > Pinus kwangtungensis > Pinus kwangtungensis
Pinus kwangtungensis
Origin: Pinus kwangtungensis is native to southern China. Specifically, Kwantung.
Mike's
Opinion
"
A beautiful and quite unique looking tree, both in the wild and on a residential or business landscape. The branch growth reminds me of clouds and creates a very dreamy atmosphere.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Pinaceae |
| Genus |
| Pinus |
| Species |
| kwangtungensis |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Grow under glass |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H3 - H4 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-6.6) - (-1.1) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 20 - 30 |
| Height |
| 7.5 - 10.5 m |
| Spread |
| 4.5 - 10.5 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| This tree is covered in beautiful, blue-green needles that grow in fascicles of five. New grown branches are a pale brown colour and smooth. They begin to develop a grey undertone with age, changing their colour to a calm, grey-brown colour. The tree can secrete a small amount of sticky resin. |
| Landscape |
| Given that the Kwangtung Pine is an evergreen, it makes for a very attractive accent tree year-round (though it is not very hardy to freezing climates). |
| Cultivation |
| The Pinus kwangtungensis likes evenly moist, well-draining soils in full sun or part shade. It is deer resistant and resistant to verticillium wilt. |
| Shape |
| The Pinus kwangtungensis takes on a very upright shape. It could easily be described as pyramidal in form. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| ID Characteristic |
| The Kwangtung Pine has a slight sticky resin on the foliar buds, a decently sized cone that may also be slightly resinous, as well as long, blue-green needles growing upwards in fascicles of five. |
| Pests |
| No reported pests specific to the kwangtungensis species. |
| Habitat |
| Pinus kwangtungensis is often found growing in regions with high altitude, including the middle of Wuzhishan Mountains and Yinggeling Mountains. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| In the first year, branchlets are smooth and are a very pale brown in colour. As the tree matures, the smooth, pale bark on the branchlets will toughen and develop into a scaley gray-brown bark. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Foliar buds are slightly resinous. Buds start off very small at the end of a branch and later develop into cones. |
| Leaf Description |
| The needles of the Pinus kwangtungensis grow five per fascicle. Each needle is about 3.5 to 7 centimetres in length and about 1 to 1.5 millimetres thick. The fascicles grow upwards on the stem of the plant and the needles have a triangular cross section. |
| Flower Description |
| The cones of Pinus kwangtungensis begin growing on a 7-20 millimetre peduncle at the end of a branch. When mature, the cones are a very showy red-brown colour. They are quite sizeable, at approximately 3 to 9 centimetres in length and 1.5 to 7 centimetres wide. The cones are oblong and cylindrical in shape and may be slightly resinous to the touch. |
| Fruit Description |
| Pinus kwangtungensis produces small seeds, about 0.8–1.2 centimetres in size. The seeds are quite round, very much ellipsoid or egg-shaped. Pollination of the seed takes place in the early to mid-spring months (around April–May), and the seeds mature in their second year after pollination in October. |
| Colour Description |
| The Pinus kwangtungensis produces needles that are either bright green or quite blue-green in colour. The bark of Pinus kwangtungensis is not particularly flashy, it is very grey brown when it has become fully matured, and rather pale brown when new. |
| Texture Description |
| Pinus kwangtungensis needles are smooth and soft in the sense that they are not particularly pointy. Bark on young or small branches is very smooth but will evolve to be much more scaley as the tree ages. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Geneve, Switzerland. |
| Propagation |
| Pines can be propagated by either seed or branch cuttings. To propagate a branch cutting, simply cut about 4–6 inches of the most recent growth. Remove no less than 1/3 and no more than half of the cutting’s needles. Place it in a moist, but not soggy medium. Keep the needles from touching the soil. Place the cuttings in a humid, warm environment under bright, indirect lights. Keep the soil moist and transplant once the cutting develops roots. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| A widely used tree for construction timber. The tree also produces a sticky resin that is commonly used in adhesives. Though not commonly used anymore as the tree is fairly slow-growing and rated as a vulnerable species. |
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