earth science

Pinus canariensis

Pinus canariensis is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pinus canariensis rather than just read about it. In short: Pinus canariensis, the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean.

Key takeaways

Pinus canariensis belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pinus canariensis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pinus canariensis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pinus canariensis, the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean.

Description Pinus canariensis is a large evergreen tree, growing to 30–40 metres (98–131 feet) tall and 100–120 centimetres (39–47 inches) diameter at breast height, exceptionally up to 56 m (184 ft) tall and 988 cm (389 in) girth (314 cm (124 in) diameter). The green to yellow-green leaves are needle-like, in bundles of three, 20–30 cm (8–12 in) long, with finely toothed margins and often drooping. A characteristic of the species is the occurrence of epicormic shoots with single (not in threes) glaucous (bluish-green) juvenile leaves growing from the lower trunk, but in its natural area this only occurs as a consequence of fire or other damage. The cones are 10–18 cm (4–7 in) long, 5 cm (2 in) wide, glossy chestnut-brown in colour and frequently remaining closed for several years (serotinous cones). Its closest relatives are the chir pine (P. roxburghii) from the Himalayas, the Mediterranean pines P. pinea, P. halepensis, P. pinaster and P. brutia from the eastern Mediterranean.

Taxonomy Pinus canariensis was first described in 1825 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, who attributed the name to Christen Smith. It has been placed in subsection Pinaster of subgenus Pinus, section Pinus. The other species in the subsection are mainly Mediterranean in distribution, with one species (P. roxburghii) from the Himalayas.

Distribution and habitat The species is native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, El Hierro and La Palma). It is a subtropical pine and does not tolerate low temperatures or hard frost, surviving temperatures down to about −6 to −10 °C (21 to 14 °F). Within its natural area, it grows under extremely variable rainfall regimes, from less than 300 millimetres (12 in) to several thousands, mostly due to differences in mist-capturing by the foliage. Under warm conditions, this is one of the most drought-tolerant pines, living even with less than 200 mm (8 in) of rainfall per year. The native range has been somewhat reduced due to over-cutting so that only the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, and Gran Canaria still have large forests, with extensive replanting of deforested areas since 1940. Really big trees are rare due to past over-cutting. It is the tallest tree in the Canary Islands, with the tallest specimen, 'Pino de las Dos Pernadas' near Vilaflor on Tenerife, being 56.7 m (186 ft) tall.

Fossil record Fossils of Pinus canariensis have been described from the fossil flora of Kızılcahamam district in Turkey which is of early Pliocene age. Fossil cones including seeds of Pinus canariensis are known from the late Miocene of Abkhazia, from the Vienna Basin and the Canary Islands. Numerous cone casts including seeds of Pinus canariensis from the early Pleistocene, were recovered on Kallithea, Rhodes.

Ecology This pine is one of the most fire-resistant conifers in the world, due to several beneficial adaptations. In particular, Pinus canariensis is one of the few pine species that can epicormically resprout after losing its needles in a fire.

Uses The tree's long needles make a significant contribution to the islands' water supply, trapping large amounts of cloud droplets as fog drip. This comes from the moist air coming off the Atlantic with the prevailing north eastern wind (locally called "alisios" or "tiempo norte"); the fog drip measured under trees can be up to 20 times the rainfall measured in the open away from trees at the same site. The condensation after dropping to the ground is quickly absorbed by the soil, and percolates down to the underground aquifers. The aromatic wood, especially the heartwood, is among the finest of pine woods, being hard, strong and durable. The wood of the Canary island pine is now becoming popular as a tonewood for soundboards for guitars and other string instruments. The aromatic heartwood (locally called "tea") is also traditionally used in La Palma for making wine aging containers called pipas. Pinus canariensis is a popular ornamental tree in warmer climates, such as in private gardens, public landscapes, and as street trees. In mainland Spain, South Africa, Sicily, Australia, and California, it has become a naturalised species from original landscape uses.

In culture It is the vegetable symbol of the island of La Palma.

Gallery

See also List of animal and plant symbols of the Canary Islands

References

External links

University of Murcia: Tenerife Island, Canarias, Spain: Pinus canariensis University of California: Davis Pinus canariensis

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pinus canariensis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pinus canariensis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pinus canariensis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pinus canariensis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pinus canariensis

In research: Pinus canariensis appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pinus canariensis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pinus canariensis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Drought-tolerant trees, Endemic flora of the Canary Islands, Garden plants of Europe, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pinus canariensis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pinus canariensis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pinus canariensis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pinus canariensis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pinus canariensis in simple terms?

Why does Pinus canariensis matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pinus canariensis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pinus canariensis.