''Pinus taiwanensis'', the Taiwan red pine, is a species of

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

in the family

Pinaceae The Pinaceae (), or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as Cedrus, cedars, firs, Tsuga, hemlocks, Pinyon_pine, piñons, larches, pines and spruces. The family is incl ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Taiwan.

Taxonomy

It is a close relative of ''

Pinus luchuensis ''Pinus luchuensis'', commonly called Luchu pine or Okinawa pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae endemic to, and locally abundant in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. It was once threatened by habitat loss in the wild, where it can be ...

'' of Japan and ''P. hwangshanensis'' of China, sometimes considered as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of the former. Sometimes ''P. hwangshanensis'' from China are also referred to as ''P. taiwanensis''. ''P. taiwanensis'' var. ''fragilissima'' and ''P. taiwanensis'' var. ''taiwanensis'' are the two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of this species.

Description

The Taiwan red pine is a large tree, with a straight trunk up to tall and in diameter. Needles are in bundles of two. Cones are long. It is a common species in the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. It acts as a barrier between the east and west coasts, hindering travel. The tallest peak of the range is ...

at altitudes of , often in pure stands.

References

taiwanensis Endemic flora of Taiwan Trees of Taiwan Least concern plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{conifer-stub