Pinus muricata D.Don
bishop pine
Small to medium-sized, widespreading, often dense, ± erect tree. Bark deeply fissured, dark grey on surface, reddish brown beneath. Shoots greenish brown or brown, ± shining, glabrous. Buds cylindric or conic-cylindric, purplish, resinous; scales usually tightly appressed, rarely the apices free. Lvs usually 2, very rarely 3 or 4 per fascicle, 7-15 cm × c. 1-1.5 mm, ± curved except on vigorous erect leader shoots, greyish green or bluish green when fresh, rather rigid and pungently pointed; resin canals median; sheaths to c. 2 cm long initially, becoming much shorter later. ♂ strobili broad-cylindric or subglobose, 5-15 mm long. Conelets subsessile; scales with long prickly mucros. Mature cones mostly in clusters of 4-5, sessile or subsessile, backward pointing, remaining closed on the tree for many years, (5)-6-9 × (3.5)-4-6 cm when closed, ovoid, asymmetric, chestnut-brown when ripe; umbos with rigid prickles well-developed on the large convex apophyses of the lower upper side. Seed wing asymmetric, ± oblong, 1-2 cm long.
N.: Taranaki; S.: Nelson, Canterbury.
California 1940/1
Mainly near plantations and state forests.
Bishop pine or muricata pine is planted in state forests, although not on a large scale, and has also been used as a coastal windbreak tree in many places. It is a very successful sp. in N.Z. tolerating considerable cold, drought and exposure to salt winds. Its regeneration is sometimes prolific, as at Kaingaroa in the C. North Id, especially after fire, which often causes the persistent closed cones to open.
There are 2 forms of P. muricata in N.Z., a green- and a blue-foliage form, both being grown as potential timber trees. The blue form is the most satisfactory plantation and shelter belt tree, and is the form known to be wild. It is possible that the sp. hybridises with P. radiata occasionally in N.Z. because the 2 spp. are closely related and hybrids have been reported in California. The most reliable distinguishing character is the number of needles to each fascicle.
