''Pinus koraiensis'' is a species of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

known commonly as the Korean pine. It is native to eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

northeastern China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, the

temperate rainforests of the Russian Far East The temperate rainforests of the Russian Far East are within the Russian federal subjects Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai and contains the Sikhote-Alin mountain range. Found within the Russian Federation, this area is one of the most productive ...

, and central Japan. In the north of its range, it grows at moderate elevations, typically , whereas further south, it is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

tree, growing at elevation in Japan. Other common names include Chinese pinenut.

Description

It is a member of the

white pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

group, ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ...

'', section ''Quinquefoliae''. In its native habitat and growing conditions it can reach in height. Cultivated specimens may grow up to tall. It is pyramidal in shape, younger specimens with ascending branches and older trees with more horizontal branches that reach ground level. The gray or brownish bark flakes off to reveal reddish inner bark. Its branches are lined with bundles of five blue-green needles each up to and bear brown cones up to long.

Uses and conservation

The nuts of this tree are edible and sold commercially. It is the most common taxon sold as

pine nut Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), pignoli or chilgoza (), are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are trad ...

s in markets throughout Europe and the United States. The nut oil contains 11.5% of the unusual fatty acid

pinolenic acid Pinolenic acid (often misspelled as pinoleic acid) is a fatty acid contained in Siberian Pine nuts, Korean Pine nuts and the seeds of other pines (''Pinus'' species). The highest percentage of pinolenic acid is found in Siberian pine nuts and the ...

(''cis''–5–''cis''–9–''cis''–12 octadecatrienoic acid). The oil is used to make lubricants and soap. The tree is also a source of

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a spec ...

resin and

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

. The Korean pine is used as an ornamental tree. It is tolerant of several soil types and thrives in urban settings. It is adapted to climates with very cold winters. There are several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s, including the blue-tinged 'Glauca' and 'Silveray' and the wide-bodied 'Winton'. The wood is versatile and very useful for construction. It is light, with straight grains, and easy to work. It is used for a great variety of products, including

telephone pole A utility pole is a column or post typically made out of wood used to support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as electrical cable, fiber optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. It ...

railroad tie A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie ( Canadian English) or railway sleeper ( Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties tran ...

s, bridges, boats, plywood and flooring, furniture, sports equipment, and musical instruments. It is easy to break down into chips,

particle board Particle board, also known as chipboard or low-density fiberboard, is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood chips and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particle board is often confused with ...

, or pulp for paper. Its value has led to overexploitation of wild populations of the tree, and destruction of the forest ecosystems in which it grows. The

Siberian tiger The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies '' Panthera tigris tigris'' native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, but currently inh ...

is resident in these pine forests, and preservation of this tree species is one step in the conservation of the tiger. Other associates of the tree in nature include the

spotted nutcracker The spotted nutcracker, Eurasian nutcracker, or simply nutcracker (''Nucifraga caryocatactes'') is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over ...

(''Nucifraga caryocatactes''), which collects the seeds and plays an important role in their dispersal.

Gallery

File:Pinus koraiensis, Mount Auburn Cemetery.JPG, Form File:Pinus koraiensis (Korean Pine) - Flickr - S. Rae.jpg, Leaves File:Immature Korean pine cone. From a cultivated Korean pine forest..png, Immature Korean pine cone File:Korean pine seedlings.jpg,

Seedlings A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embryo ...

File:잣.jpg, Seeds File:Jat (pine nut) (Pinus koraiensis).jpg, Pine nuts File:Pinus koraiensis Pinus parviflora SZ116.png, Illustration File:Korean Pine Trees in Seoul.jpg, Korean Pine Trees in Seoul, Korea File:Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) trees crowns.jpg,

Canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

File:Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) trunk cross section.jpg, Trunk cross section File:Young Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis).jpg, Young tree

References

External links

Korean Pine.
American Conifer Society.
''Pinus koraiensis'' - Korean Stone Pine.
Conifers Around the World. {{Taxonbar, from=Q301636 koraiensis Flora of Northeast Asia Trees of Korea Trees of China Trees of Japan Trees of Siberia Edible nuts and seeds Trees of continental subarctic climate Least concern plants