Pinus dalatensis description

Pinus dalatensis Ferré 1960

Common Names

Thông Dà; lat, Thông Nam lá (Vietnamese) (FIPI 1996).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: P. wallichiana var. dalatensis (Silba 1986). "This pine resembles Pinus wallichiana (syn. P. griffithii) and P. strobus, but its pollen characteristics are different (Ferré, 1960) and it has been collected in only two localities, far away from both other pines. ... Due to the scant material available to botanists, this species still awaits verification of its taxonomic status" (Farjon 1984).

Description

Evergreen tree to 15-25(45) m tall and 60-100(+) cm dbh. Crown conical, somewhat open. Young trees have resinous, longitudinally fissured bark. Needles in fascicles of 5, sheaths shed early. Female cone has 20-30 scales, yellowish brown maturing to dark grey. Seeds ovate, brown, winged. Cones begin to mature in February and March and reach maturity in October-December (FIPI 1996).

Range

Maybe in Laos; certainly in Vietnam: Thua Thien Hue (Phu Loc), Kon Tum (Ngoc Linh), Gia Lai (Kon Ka Kinh NR), Dac Lac (Chu Yang Sing and other massifs), Lam Dong, (BiDoup mountain), Ninh Thuan (Phuoc Binh) (Luu and Thomas 2004). Grows in dense, moist, evergreen subtropical forests, on yellow ferallitic soils or shallow dark gley soils, at elevations of more than 1500 m. Often in mixed stands with P. krempfii, P. insularis, Dacrydium elatum and Fokienia hodginsii. Regeneration occurs primarily at forest edges and along streams (FIPI 1996).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Due to its rarity, it is chiefly useful as an ornamental (FIPI 1996).

Observations

Can only be seen within its very limited range, within which its continued survival is uncertain.

Remarks

Listed as threatened in Viet Nam by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. "This is an endangered tree species, growing sparsely and regenerating only with much difficulty. The number of individuals is low and is continuously being reduced, its distribution becoming more and more confined to small isolated areas as its habitats are being destroyed. Strict protection is needed to preserve this valuable species" (FIPI 1996).