biology

Pinus patula

Pinus patula is a biology 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 patula rather than just read about it. In short: Pinus patula, commonly known as patula pine, spreading-leaved pine, or Mexican weeping pine, and in Spanish as pino patula or pino llorón, (patula Latin = "spreading") is a tree native to the highlands of Mexico. It grows from 24° to 18° North latitude and 1,800–2,700 m (5,900–8,900 ft) above sea level.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Pinus patula, commonly known as patula pine, spreading-leaved pine, or Mexican weeping pine, and in Spanish as pino patula or pino llorón, (patula Latin = "spreading") is a tree native to the highlands of Mexico. It grows from 24° to 18° North latitude and 1,800–2,700 m (5,900–8,900 ft) above sea level. The tree grows up to 30 m (98 ft) tall. It can only withstand short periods of temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F), but resists well occasional dips below 0 °C (32 °F). It is moderately drought-tolerant, and in this respect is superior to Pinus taeda. The average annual rainfall in its native habitat is from 750 to 2000 mm. This falls mostly in summer, but in a little area of the State of Veracruz on the Sierra Madre Oriental its habitat is rainy the year round. It is planted at high altitudes in Ecuador (3500 m), Bolivia, Colombia (3300 m), Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, and Hawaii (3000 m). In Hawaii it is replacing the native alpine grassland. At lower altitudes than in its origin country it is cultivated in Southern Brazil, South Africa, India, and in the Argentine provinces of Córdoba and San Luis. it is planted for forestation purposes in lands originally covered by bushland. It has been introduced near sea level in New South Wales, Australia, where it spreads naturally by wind and is very favored because rainfalls are more abundant in summer. It was also introduced in New Zealand for commercial purposes and is fully naturalized there. It is cultivated in the United Kingdom as an ornamental tree for parks and gardens, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The timber is pale-pink to salmon, moderately soft, brittle and smelling strongly of aniseed when freshly cut.

Foliage The grass green needles are 6 to 9 inches long and droop to give a weeping effect. They are in bundles of 3 or 4.

Taxonomic notes There are two varieties: P. patula Schiede ex Schlechtendal et Chamisso var. patula and P. patula Schiede ex Schlechtendal et Chamisso var. longipedunculata Loock ex Martínez.

References

Eguiluz T.1982. Clima y Distribución del género pinus en México. Distrito Federal. Mexico. Rzedowski J. 1983. Vegetación de México. Distrito Federal, Mexico. Richardson D.M. (Ed) 2005. Ecology and biogeography of Pinus. Department of Conservation. South Island Wilding Conifer Strategy. New Zealand. Chandler, N.G. Pulpwood plantations in South Africa. Proc. Aust. Paper Indus. Tech. Ass. Gutiérrez, Millán, W. Ladrach. 1980. Resultados a tres años de la siembra directa de semillas de Cupressus lusitanica y Pinus patula en finca Los Guaduales Departamento del Cauca. Informe de Investigación 60. Cali, Colombia. Cartón de Colombia S.A. 6 p.

External links Data related to Pinus patula at Wikispecies Media related to Pinus patula at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pinus patula

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pinus patula claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 patula 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 patula 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 patula

In research: Pinus patula appears in biology 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 patula 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 patula is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Flora of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, IUCN Red List least concern species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pinus patula 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 patula in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pinus patula 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 patula out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pinus patula in simple terms?

Why does Pinus patula matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 patula?

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 patula.