Pinus contorta
Pinus contorta
Safety & Hazards
The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[ 222 Title A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Publication Author Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. Year 1990 ISBN 0395467225 Description 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. ].
Botanical Description
Pinus contorta contorta is an evergreen tree with an irregularly rounded or flat crown; it usually grows up to 10 metres tall, exceptionally to 30 metres. The straight bole is up to 50cm in diameter; it leans towards the land in sheltered sites near the sea, becoming contorted and bent in more exposure. In greater exposure the plant is often reduced to shrub form by wind shear and salt spray[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. , 329 Title The Gymnosperm Database Publication Author Website http://www.conifers.org/index.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms. ]. This form of the species is widely harvested for its wood, but it is mostly a low-quality tree for timber use. The plant has a wide range of traditional uses as a food, medicine and source of materials. This is one of the most important afforestation species in Britain, being grown on poor and highly exposed sites[ 329 Title The Gymnosperm Database Publication Author Website http://www.conifers.org/index.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms. ]. Pinus contorta contorta is widespread and abundant in many parts of its range. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. Pinus contorta is considered a major weed, ranked as one of the five most invasive pines. A fast-growing, short-lived conifer with a very wide ecological tolerance, it has been widely planted in temperate regions for forestry and erosion control. It is reported to be invasive in many temperate countries. and is a declared Class B noxious weed in New Zealand. Its invasiveness is mainly due to its small, wind-distributed seed, high seed production, short juvenile period, and short intervals between large crops. It readily invades open, disturbed ground caused be events such as wildfires or clear-felling of forests; changing the vegetation structure, altering fire regimes and negatively impactacting native species, reducing richness, abundance and diversity[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].