Pinus pinaster Aiton
maritime pine
Medium-sized to large tree with rather open crown, the stout trunk becoming bare of branches for most of length. Bark thick, deeply fissured and forming small irregular plates with smooth, dark red or reddish brown surfaces. Shoots deep brown or brownish, ± shining, glabrous, with remains of lf bases prominent. Buds cylindric-oblong, sometimes very large (> 4 × 1.5 cm), not resinous; scales dark reddish, reflexed, with margins strongly white-fimbriate. Lvs 2 per fascicle, 6-17-(26) cm × c. 2 mm (nearly always appearing narrower because of incurved margins), dull green, rigid, pungent; resin canals median; sheath 5-10 mm long in older lvs. ♂ strobili < 1.5 cm long, ellipsoid or broad-ellipsoid. Conelets sessile, prominent and broad-ellipsoid; scales obtuse, acute or mucronate. Mature cones often persistent for several years, sessile or subsessile, 7-15 × 4-6 cm when closed (to 19 × 9 cm in cultivation), usually cylindric-ovoid, sometimes ovoid (small cones), ± symmetric; apophyses rhomboid, keeled, shining brown; umbo prickly. Seed wing asymmetric, to 2.5-(3) cm long.
N.: N. Auckland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua; S.: N.W. Nelson, N. Canterbury (Hanmer area), Port Levy (Banks Peninsula).
Mediterranean region, S.W. Europe 1830
Scrub, open places such as grassy slopes, cliff faces.
Maritime pine is cultivated in most parts of the country, including many plantations, parks, domains, shelter belts, and gardens. It has long been naturalised and was probably the first conifer to be introduced to N.Z. In 1830, P. novazaelandica Don was described, but the material upon which this is based is P. pinaster, which therefore must have been growing successfully by that date. It is probably wild in localities other than those listed above because it thrives so well and readily escapes from cultivation. In some warmer parts of the North Id, especially Auckland and the Waiotapu area near Rotorua, there are fairly large areas of open scrub dominated by maritime pine which is an aggressive colonising sp. there, and thrives on poor soils and regenerates very prolifically after fire. The attractive and characteristic bark composed of small shining brown plates is not obvious until the trees are fully mature. Another feature of P. pinaster is the strongly glaucous colour of the young or juvenile lvs which are also denticulate. There is considerable variation in the sp. here, especially in needle length and cone size, but most N.Z. material corresponds with the sp. as found in the Mediterranean region. The sp. has been called P. maritima in N.Z.
The related P. pinea L., stone pine, has been recorded wild in Canterbury but there are no substantiating specimens. It is, however, a fairly commonly cultivated pine there and further N. and cones freely. It is easily identified by its dense umbrella-shaped or rounded crown, recurved bud scales, ± globular cone and seeds with only a rudimentary wing. The edible pine nuts sold in N.Z. are apparently always of this Mediterranean sp.
