Maritime Pine

The Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) is a pine native to the western Mediterranean region.

The range extends from Portugal and Spain north to southern and western France, east to western Italy, and south to northern Morocco, with small outlying populations in Algeria and Malta (possibly introduced by man). It generally occurs at low to moderate altitudes, mostly from sea level to 600 m, but up to 2000 m in the south of its range in Morocco.

It is a medium-size tree, reaching 20-35 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1.2 m, exceptionally 1.8 m.

The bark is orange-red, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, somewhat thinner in the upper crown.

The leaves ('needles') are in pairs, very stout (2 mm broad), 12-22 cm long, and bluish-green to distinctly yellowish-green.

The cones are conic, 10-20 cm long and 4-6 cm broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next few years, or after being heated by a forest fire, to release the seeds, opening to 8-12 cm broad.

The seeds are 8-10 mm long, with a 20-25 mm wing, and are wind-dispersed.

Maritime Pine is closely related to Turkish Pine, Canary Island Pine and Aleppo Pine, which all share many features with it. It is a relatively non-variable species, with constant morphology over the entire range.

Uses
It is widely planted for timber in its native area, being one of the most important trees in forestry in France, Spain and Portugal; the largest man-made forest in the world, at Les Landes in southwest France, is composed of this species. It is also a popular ornamental tree, often planted in parks and gardens in areas with warm temperate climates. It has become naturalised in parts of southern England, South Africa and Australia. It is a serious pest in parts of South Africa, where it is called the cluster pine (Stirton, 1978). It is also used as a source of proanthocyanidins, notably in the patented extract "pycnogenol". The patents for pycnogenol refer to Pinus maritima, an obsolete synonym for Pinus pinaster.