The densely flowered pine is a bright representative of the coniferous class. Her evergreen crowns have long pleased the eyes of Asian sages and poets. They admired her steadfastness and immutability, as if time itself had no power over her. Alas, they were bitterly mistaken, because centuries later this tree was on the verge of extinction. And now only a few lucky ones can enjoy enjoying its beautiful branches.
Dense flowering pine: species description
As the name implies, this tree belongs to the pine family. Dense pine differs from its relatives, first of all, by rather dense needles. It is this feature that gives the plant extraordinary beauty. But as a true “model”, the pine tree has a nasty character: without enough moisture, it quickly fades, which very badly affects its number.
Natural habitat
The densely flowered pine grows mainly in East Asia. The largest arrays of these trees are located in the territory of Northeast China, Korea and Japan. It is these countries that have climatic conditions that are most optimal for the growth of these representatives of the flora. If we talk about Russia, then here the densely flowered pine is found exclusively in the Primorsky Territory.
Wood is very demanding on the presence of moisture and light. Therefore, it prefers to grow on rocky slopes located along a reservoir. However, this does not mean that the pine tree is not able to settle on sandy soil. With a sufficient amount of groundwater, it develops any type of land without special difficulties.
Another important point is that this type of pine does not form dense massifs and forests. In most cases, trees grow in small groups, less often create groves. But with other species, pine coexists much better. Its frequent neighbors are oak, birch and beech. In addition, in the areas with soft soil, many shrubs and stunted trees take shelter under its protection.
Appearance
The densely flowered pine is an evergreen coniferous tree. On average, it grows to 10-15 meters in height. It should be noted that in the past, this plant was much larger. For example, a tree aged 200-250 years can reach 30 meters in height. However, due to a number of environmental factors, today only a few pine trees can boast such a respectable age. Regarding the trunk itself, it is most often strongly bent - straight trees grow exclusively in dense forests. Pine bark is brown-red or dark brown. The needles are thin but plentiful.
Tree and man
Today it is an endangered species of trees. That is why many Asian countries have established a law according to which densely flowered pine will be protected. The Red Book of Russia also prohibits cutting down these trees on its territory. However, if people understand the importance of these prohibitions, then forest fires and hurricanes simply ignore them.
Today, man has introduced a host of additional measures aimed at increasing the population of this species. Dense pine is grown not only in nature reserves, but also bred in private sectors. Moreover, this tree was planted outside of its historical homeland - in North America and Europe through the efforts of world environmental organizations.