Pinus strobiformis seed
LATIN NAME: PINUS STROBIFORMIS
COMMON NAME: Southwestern White Pine, Mexican White Pine
The Pinus strobiformis, or southwestern white pine, is one of the most graceful and useful of the southwestern pines, and its tall, conical habit, its blue-green, five-needled foliage and its large, curved cones have made it a tree of the mountain forests and the large gardens across the southwestern United States and the Mexico. It grows as a medium-sized to large, evergreen conifer of the pine family, reaching up to twenty-five metres or more, with the smooth, grey bark which becomes furrowed with age and the tall, conical crown bearing the blue-green, five-needled, soft needles in the dense clusters, and bearing the large, curved, brown cones which contain the large, edible, winged seeds. It is a species of the conifer, native to the mountain forests of the southwestern United States and the Mexico, while it has been cultivated in the large gardens and the parks, and it is known as the southwestern white pine or the Mexican white pine.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The southwestern white pine has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the forestry and the mountain science, since the Pinus strobiformis is a timber and ornamental tree of the mountain forests, and the researchers have examined its growth, its wood properties and its role in the mountain ecosystems, while the study of the southwestern trees has drawn attention in the international forestry and ecological press. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture and the ornamental-plant science, since the southwestern white pine is a graceful, ornamental pine for the large garden and the park, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its propagation and its value in the landscape, while the study of the ornamental pines has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ecology, since it is a tree of the mountain forests and a food source for the birds and the wildlife which eat its seeds, and its role in the ecosystems has been examined, while the blue-green, five-needled foliage and the large, curved cones of the southwestern white pine have been of interest to the botanists and the gardeners. For a tree of such grace, the Pinus strobiformis has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Southwestern White Pine from seed, the southwestern white pine is a medium-sized to large, evergreen conifer of the mountain forests, bearing the blue-green, five-needled needles and the large, curved, brown cones. Its seeds are a food for the birds and the squirrels, and its tall, conical crown gives a fine presence in the large garden and the park, while its tolerance of the dry, mountain conditions makes it a valuable tree for the southwestern landscape. Its economic value is real: the southwestern white pine is prized as a graceful, ornamental pine for the large garden and the park, and its value has drawn attention in the international forestry and horticultural press, while the blue-green foliage and the graceful habit have made it a favourite of the large gardens and the parks, and the tree is a fine addition to the large garden, the park and the woodland. To raise the southwestern white pine, sow the fresh seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.
sow the fresh seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep the young pine gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.
Botanical Name: Pinus strobiformis Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus Subspecies: SOUTHWESTERN WHITE PINE Common Name: Pinus strobiformis, SOUTHWESTERN WHITE PINE, Mexican white pine, Chihuahua white pine Minimum Hardiness Zone: 5
Pinus Strobiformis (southwestern white pine)
Pinus Strobiformis seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct procedures are followed.
First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite or even just pure sharp sand. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die.
Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied.
Write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started.
The seeds first require a period of warm pre-treatment and need to be kept in temperatures of 20 Celsius (68F) for a period of at least 8 weeks During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective!
For the final part of the breaking of the dormancy the mixed seeds need to be kept in the fridge for around 12 weeks.
One this is complete the seeds are ready to be sown.
Fill your chosen container with a good quality general potting compost. Suitable containers could be plant pots, seed trays or plug trays or even improvised containers with drainage holes. Firm the compost gently and sow the seeds on the surface. If you are sowing in plug trays, sow 1 or 2 seed per cell.
Cover the seeds with a couple of millimetres of vermiculite or failing that a fine layer of sieved compost. Follow with a gentle watering and keep them at room temperature. Germination will begin a few weeks from sowing.
The seedlings are reasonably robust and trouble free and usually grow to a height of between 5 and 12 cm in the first growing season depending on the sowing date and cultural techniques. Densely sown seedlings are at risk from fungal diseases such as “damping off” which can cause rapid loss of many seedlings.
Developing seedlings should be fine in full sun, keep them well watered and free of competing weeds. Growth will accelerate in the second and subsequent years and the developing young trees should be re-potted as necessary preferably during the dormant season. After 2 or 3 years they are ready to be planted in their permanent position.