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Pinaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Pinus cubensis

Pinus cubensis

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Pinus cubensis is found in the tropical to subtropical climate of eastern Cuba, where there is an abundant rainfall of 1,800mm or more annually, but with a dry cool season[2]. It is not a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate short periods with temperatures down to around -5°c when fully dormant. Pine species in general require a sunny position if they are to grow well and, whilst the different species have their own soil preferences, most will thrive in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[3, 4]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[5].

Propagation

Seed - germinates in 8 - 12 (max. 21) days without pre-treatment[6]. However, they are often soaked in cold water overnight, followed by 2 - 3 days of cold storage at 4 - 5°c[6]. Mechanical sifting of seed before sowing to eliminate hollow and defective seed can also improve germination considerably and make it possible to sow single seeds directly into containers instead of first sowing them in germination beds[6]. Collection of cones can start as soon as they begin to change from green to brown on the tree; collecting cones earlier that this may give seeds with short viability[6]. Seeds can be extracted from cones opened in the sun by raking them over as they lie open on the tarpaulin[6]. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; viability is lost within 1 year in hermetic storage with seeds at room temperature with 13 ± 2% mc; no loss in viability during 2 years hermetic storage at room temperature; no loss in viability after 5 years of storage at 0 - 5°c with over 8% mc; hermetic storage at 4.5% mc recommended; about 16% viability lost after 2.7 years of hermetic storage at 8°c[6]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pinus+cubensis>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. — Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. · Houghton Mifflin Co. · 1990 · ISBN 0395467225 ↩︎A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
  2. [2]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  7. [7]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  8. [8]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  9. [9]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.
  10. [10]Vegetable Gums and Resins. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · ISBN 81-88818-17-8 ↩︎A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎