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Pinaceae FAMILY Vulnerable

Pinus tecunumanii

Pinus tecunumanii

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

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

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of medium to high elevations in the tropics, growing in areas with a mean annual rainfall within the range 1,000 - 3,000mm and a dry season of up to 6 months[2, 3]. Plants are not very resistant to frost[2]. 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[4, 5]. Prefers a deep, fertile soil[2]. A very fast-growing tree - in reforestation projects in Colombia trees grew up to 2.5 metres per year in height in the first eight years after establishment on suitable sites, though growth has been slower in other regions[6]. There are two distinct forms of this species:- A low elevation form, found at elevations from 450 - 1,500 metres. Rarely exceeding 30 metres in height, growing in areas with an average annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,800 mm[2]. A high elevation form found at elevations of 1,500 - 2,900 metres. Specimens can attain a height of 55 metres and are usually found in areas where the average annual rainfall exceeds 1,500mm[2]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[7].

Propagation

Seed - requires no pre-treatment, though commercial forestry programs sometimes soak seeds in water at room temperature for 24 hours prior to sowing[2]. The seeds can be easily germinated when laid on moist filter paper in petri dishes and placed in a germinator for 7 days[2]. The seeds also readily germinate when placed in open boxes that contain moist sand[2]. Normal germination for seeds from natural stands is approximately 75 percent[2]. Germination begins 7 to 10 days after sowing[2]. Seeds stored in a plastic, air-tight container at 4°c and with a moisture content of 6 - 9 percent should remain viable for years. However, P. tecunumanii has a thin seed coat that can be cracked, chipped, or split easily by rough handling, and care must be used during seed processing[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pinus+tecunumanii>

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]Tropical Tree Seed Manual — Vosso. J. Editor. · USDA Forest Service. · 2002 · http://www.rngr.net/Publications/ttsm ↩︎An extremely good guide, it can also be downloaded in its entirety from the address shown above.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]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 ]).
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]Timber Trees of Meso America. — UNEP · 2005 · http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/reports/MA2005/Annex%202.pdf ↩︎A PDF document, published on the internet. Detailed reports on about 30 species of timber trees from Central America.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]Global Tree Campaign - 40 Species in Trade — http://www.unep-wcmc.org/trees/trade/40_species_in_trade.htm ↩︎Information on the habitats, uses and some cultivation notes for 40 species of timber trees.
  9. [9]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  10. [10]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  11. [11]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.
  12. [12]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.
  13. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎