Scientific name: Pinus strobus var. chiapensis M. Martínez 1940

Synonyms: Pinus chiapensis (Martínez) Andresen, Pinus strobus subsp. chiapensis (Martínez) A.E.Murray

Common names: Chiapas white pine, Pinabete, Ocote, Pino Blanco (Spanish)

Description

Tree to 30(-40) m tall, with trunk to 1.5(-1.8) m in diameter. Bark light grayish brown, smooth at first, becoming broken into vertical, rectangular blocks by shallow to deep cracks. Crown conical at first, becoming flat-topped, cylindrical, and irregularly open with age , with wide-spreading, horizontal branches of variable length reasonably densely clothed with foliage near their ends. Twigs pale reddish brown, hairless or a little hairy at first. Buds 4-8(-15) mm long, slightly resinous or not. Needles in bundles of five, each needle (5-)6-10(-13) cm long, straight or arching, thin and flexible, lasting 2-3 years, dark green to bluish green. Individual needles with lines of stomates only on the inner faces, an undivided midvein, (one or) two resin canals touching the epidermis of the outer face, and sometimes with a third resin canal touching the epidermis of one or the other inner face near the angle where they come together. Sheath 10-15 mm long, soon shed. Pollen cones 5-15 mm long, straw-colored. Seed cones (6-)8-20(-25) cm long, taperingly cylindrical and pointed at both ends, often curved, with 40-90 seed scales, yellowish green to bluish green or even purple-tinged before maturity, ripening light brown, opening widely to release the seeds, with a slender stalk (1-)2-4.5 cm long. Seed scales egg-shaped, thin and a little flexible, the exposed tips straight, the narrow, diamond-shaped umbo straight or slightly hooked inward. Seed body (5-)6-8(-9) mm long, egg-shaped, the firmly attached wing 18-25(-30) mm long.

Western Guatemala and Chiapas to central Guerrero and northern Puebla (Mexico); at moderate elevations and often in cloud forests; (500-)800-2,200 m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered

(Pinus strobus var. chiapensis has a relatively large extent of occurrence. Within this area, subpopulations tend to small and isolated, with the largest subpopulations occurring in Chiapas and Oaxaca. The total area of occupancy, based on herbarium specimens representing all major localities, and using standard IUCN mapping techniques (IUCN 2011) is estimated to be 384 km2. Subpopulations are severely fragmented and there is a continuing decline in area of occupancy, quality of habitat and probably number of mature individuals. On this basis it is assessed as Endangered)

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.

Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland