Pinus contorta latifolia
Pinus contorta latifolia
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 latifolia is an evergreen tree with a usually conic crown; it can grow up to 46 metres tall. The usually straight bole can be 80cm in diameter. At higher elevations at or above the timberline the tree is reduced to shrub form by wind shear[ 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. ]. A major timber species in western N. America where it is mainly harvested from natural stands[ 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. ]. It is also extensively cultivated for timber in N. Europe[ 50 Title Flora Europaea Publication Author ? Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1964 ISBN - Description An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader. , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. The plant has a wide range of traditional uses as a food, medicine and source of materials. Pinus contorta latifolia 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). ].