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Torrey pine

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Torrey pine
A Torrey pine on the northeast coast ofSanta Rosa Island, California

Critically Imperiled(NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pinus
Subgenus: P.subg.Pinus
Section: P.sect.Trifoliae
Subsection: P.subsect.Ponderosae
Species:
P. torreyana
Binomial name
Pinus torreyana
Natural range ofPinus torreyana

TheTorrey pine(Pinus torreyana) is a rarepinespecies inCalifornia,United States.It is acritically endangered speciesgrowing only in coastalSan Diego County,and onSanta Rosa Island,offshore fromSanta BarbarainSanta Barbara County.[3]The Torrey pine isendemicto theCalifornia coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion.[4][5]

Taxonomy[edit]

Thespecies epithettorreyanais named forJohn Torrey,an American botanist, after whom the coniferous genusTorreyais also named.[6]

Description[edit]

Pinus torreyanais a broad, open-crownedpinetree growing to 8–17 meters (26–56 ft) tall in the wild, with 25–30 centimeters (9.8–11.8 in) long leaves ('needles') in groups of five. Theconesare stout and heavy, typically 8–15 cm (3.1–5.9 in) long and broad, and contain large, hard-shelled, but edible,pine nuts.[4]Like all pines, its needles are clustered into 'fascicles' that have a particular number of needles for each pine species; in the Torrey pine there are five needles in each fascicle.[7][8]Like all pines, it hasstrobili,structures that function as a flower but look like a small cone, which for the Torrey pine look like a yellow bud in a male strobilus and like a small red cone in a female.[9][10]

Torrey pines are sometimes afflicted withwitch's broom(or "gorilla's nest" ),[11]an unusually dense cluster of needles that looks somewhat like a bird's nest, caused by disease or other causes.[12][13]

There are twosubspeciesorvarieties.These are said to be distinguished by the following characteristics, as well as possibly differing in theterpenoid(beta-phellandrene,limonene,cineole,etc.) profile.[14]

Image Subspecies Description Distribution
Pinus torreyanavar.torreyana(Kral 1993) There is much space between the branches. The leaf color is said to be generally gray-yellow-green. The cones are generally smaller than 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in width. The sharp tips at the end of the scales are generally less than 6 mm (0.24 in) in length. The seed is generally less than 11 mm (0.43 in) wide, and light to dark brown in color.[15]Considered aCritically Imperiled SubspeciesbyNatureServe.[16] coast at Del Mar in San Diego County
Pinus torreyanavar.insularis(Haller) Silba 1990 The branches are crowded together. The leaf color is gray-blue-green. The cones are generally larger than 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in width. The sharp tips at the end of the scales are generally larger than 6 mm (0.24 in) in length. The seed is larger than 11mm wide, medium brown to more-or-less black.[17]Considered aCritically Imperiled SubspeciesbyNatureServe.[18] Santa Rosa Island

Distribution[edit]

The extant population ofPinus torreyanais restricted to trees growing in a narrow strip along theSouthern Californiacoast inSan Diego.[19]There is also a population of the varietyPinus torreyanavar.insularisin two groves onSanta Rosa Island,a CaliforniaChannel Islandoff the coast ofSanta Barbara.[20][21]The presence of Torrey pines along the semi-arid coast of San Diego and Santa Rosa Island (rainfall less than 15 inches per year) is probably arelict populationof a much more extensive Ice Age distribution. Coastal fog during spring and summer along the San Diego and Santa Rosa Island coast provides just enough moisture to supplement the fairly low winter rainfall, allowing for survival of the species in the wild habitat zone.[22]

Ecology[edit]

The nativehabitatofPinus torreyanaiscoastal sage scrub,aplant community,growing slowly in dry, sandy soil. The root system is extensive. A tiny seedling may quickly send ataprootdown 60 centimeters (24 in) seeking moisture and nutrients. A mature tree may have roots extending 75 meters (246 ft). Exposed trees battered bycoastal windsare often twisted into beautiful sculptural shapes resembling largebonsai,and rarely exceed 12 m (39 ft) tall.

The seeds are eaten by birds and rodents.[23]Like most pine tree species, the seeds have a wing attached to them, but in this species it is papery, breaks off easily, and is entirely non-functional, so this tree is entirely reliant upon animals to disperse its seeds. The scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica) is the most important species when it comes to dispersal of the seeds (on the mainland). Scrub jays and perhaps also squirrels are thought to be spreading the species into adjacent parklands from gardens around San Diego.[24][25]

The caterpillars of the mothGloveria arizonensishave been confirmed to feed on this tree in the wild.[25]

Stratification,which is the process of subjecting seeds to (moist) cold, encouragesgerminationin Torrey pine seeds[26][27]

Uses[edit]

Food[edit]

Thepine nutswere once eaten by theKumeyaaytribe ofNative Americanpeople.[23][24]

Cultivation[edit]

Although consideredendangeredin the wild, Torrey pine is often planted as anornamental treearoundSan Diego,coastal and inland southern California, and even the Central Valley.[24]A single tree planted in a suburb of San Diego in the 1940s or 1950s has grown tall and straight, and to a large size, 108 feet (33 m).[28]Shipley Nature Center states it can grow to 148 ft (45 m) in height in cultivation.[29][30]It is sold by at least ten differentplant nurseriesin California as of 2020.[25]

Forestry[edit]

Pinus torreyanahas been considered as aplantationtree forforestryuse inAustralia,New ZealandandKenya.[31]

Culture[edit]

InSan Diego Countyit is considered a local icon, where it lends its name toTorrey Pines State Reserve,Torrey Pines State Beach,Torrey Pines Golf Course,Torrey Pines High School,andTorrey Pines Gliderport,as well as numerous local roads and businesses (e.g., Torrey Pines Bank,[32]Torrey Pines Property Management Company,[33]Torrey Pines Landscape Company,[34]and Torrey Pines Law Group.[35])

Conservation[edit]

There is some disagreement about the total population ofPinus torreyana.In general, only the populations inTorrey Pines State Reserve(TPSR) and on Santa Rosa Island are deemed to count as the wild population, not the trees planted around San Diego and wider California. In the 1970s it was estimated that the population in the TPSR and on Santa Rosa Island was about 9,000 individuals, but many of these trees have since died due toforest fires,drought and a series of infestations of abark beetle,as well as being stressed byair pollution.There were only a hundred trees surviving in the early 20th century. As of 2016 it is thought by the California Native Plant Society that the population of this species is some 3,000 individuals.[24]In 2011,Aljos Farjon,assessing the conservation status of this species for theIUCN,estimated that the total population ofP. torreyanawas 4,500 individuals. He states that there is a slow decline of the numbers, especially of the trees not found within the TPSR on the mainland.[1]

The Torrey pine is protected by a city tree ordinance inDel Mar,near the native habitat, and construction projects and citizens require a permit for its removal.[36]

Gallery[edit]

  • Torrey pine: female pine cones
    Torrey pine: femalepine cones
  • A wild Torrey pine grove, Santa Rosa Island, California
    A wild Torrey pine grove,Santa Rosa Island,California
  • Strobili on a Torrey pine
    Strobili on a Torrey pine
  • Torrey pine mature bark and nameplate in Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, Los Angeles, California
    Torrey pine mature bark and nameplate in Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, Los Angeles, California

References[edit]

  1. ^abFarjon, A. (2013)."Pinus torreyana".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2013:e.T42424A2979186.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42424A2979186.en.RetrievedNovember 11,2021.
  2. ^"NatureServe Explorer 2.0".explorer.natureserve.org.RetrievedApril 20,2022.
  3. ^"Santa Rosa Island".Channel Islands.National Park Service.RetrievedJanuary 30,2018.
  4. ^ab"Pinus torreyana Parry ex Carrière".Ucjeps.berkeley.edu.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
  5. ^C. Michael Hogan (September 11, 2008)."Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana)".GlobalTwitcher.Archived fromthe originalon May 25, 2012.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
  6. ^Lisa (September 22, 2010)."Tree Identification: Pinus torreyana - Torrey Pine".Lh2treeid.blogspot.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
  7. ^Earle, Christopher J., ed. (2018)."Pinus torreyana".The Gymnosperm Database.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  8. ^"Chaparral and Riparian Plants".Sci.sdsu.edu.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  9. ^"Natural Treasure: The One and Only Torrey Pine".Naturaltreasureucsd.blogspot.February 7, 2011.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  10. ^"Life Cycle - torreypinedo2".Sites.google.July 22, 2011.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  11. ^jiobrien."Torrey Pine with witch's broom".Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2012.RetrievedMay 4,2014.The witch's broom or gorrila's nest is an abnormal area of growth on the tree of uncertain origin.
  12. ^"Welcome to My Garden!: Torrey Pines State Reserve".Loresgardens.blogspot.August 17, 2008.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  13. ^"Torrey Pine".Project Noah.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  14. ^Haller, J. Robert; Vivrette, Nancy J. (2012)."Pinus torreyanain Jepson Flora Project (eds.) ".Jepson eFlora.Regents of theUniversity of California.RetrievedSeptember 28,2020.
  15. ^Haller, J. Robert; Vivrette, Nancy J. (2012)."Pinus torreyanasubsp.torreyanain Jepson Flora Project (eds.) ".Jepson eFlora.Regents of theUniversity of California.RetrievedSeptember 28,2020.
  16. ^"NatureServe Explorer 2.0".explorer.natureserve.org.RetrievedApril 20,2022.
  17. ^Haller, J. Robert; Vivrette, Nancy J. (2012)."Pinus torreyanasubsp.insularisin Jepson Flora Project (eds.) ".Jepson eFlora.Regents of theUniversity of California.RetrievedSeptember 28,2020.
  18. ^"NatureServe Explorer 2.0".explorer.natureserve.org.RetrievedApril 20,2022.
  19. ^Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Craig Tufts; Daniel Mathews; Gil Nelson; Spellenberg, Richard; Thieret, John W.; Terry Purinton; Block, Andrew (2008).National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America.New York: Sterling. p. 84.ISBN978-1-4027-3875-3.
  20. ^"Pinus torreyana Parry ex Carrière subsp. insularis J. R. Haller".Ucjeps.berkeley.edu.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
  21. ^Earle, Christopher J., ed. (2018)."Pinus torreyana".The Gymnosperm Database.RetrievedMay 4,2014.
  22. ^Williams, A. Park; Still, Christopher J.; Fischer, Douglas T.; Leavitt, Steven W. (2008)."The influence of summertime fog and overcast clouds on the growth of a coastal Californian pine: A tree-ring study".Oecologia.156(3): 601–611.Bibcode:2008Oecol.156..601W.doi:10.1007/s00442-008-1025-y.PMID18368424.S2CID11172462.
  23. ^abPeattie, Donald Culross(1953).A Natural History of Western Trees.New York:Bonanza Books.pp. 96–97.
  24. ^abcd"Torrey Pine".Nature Collective.RetrievedApril 22,2020.
  25. ^abc"Torrey PinePinus torreyana".Calscape.California Native Plant Society.RetrievedSeptember 28,2020.
  26. ^Esser, Lora L. (1993)."Pinus torreyana".Fire Effects Information System (FEIS).US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  27. ^Santiago (January 25, 2005)."germination of Torrey pines".Archived fromthe originalon April 25, 2012.RetrievedAugust 9,2013.
  28. ^Anne Krueger (February 6, 2007)."Residents say tree too big, too old for neighborhood".Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 31,2016.Houses replaced avocado groves on the East County land that surrounds the Torrey pine. Torrey pines are widely planted as an ornamental species
  29. ^"TORREY PINE HABITAT".Shipley Nature Center.RetrievedMay 31,2014.
  30. ^"Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana".redOrbit.Conifers Reference Library.RetrievedMay 31,2014.The Torrey pine is planted as ornamental trees, with better soil and with controlled watering, it lends to being a fast growing tree to heights of 148 feet. This pine is drought tolerant as the tap roots can go as deep as 200 feet to find moisture. The tree is also shade tolerant.
  31. ^McMaster, Gregory Scott (1980).Patterns of reproduction in Torrey pine(Pinus torreyana)(Thesis). San Diego, California: San Diego State University.
  32. ^"Torrey Pines Bank".December 17, 2010.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  33. ^"Torrey Pines Property Management Company, San Diego Property Management, Apartments for Rent in San Diego, CA".RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  34. ^"San Diego Landscape Designers Contractors Torrey Pines Landscaping".Tplandscape.RetrievedAugust 6,2013.
  35. ^"Torrey Pines Law Group".June 1, 2020.RetrievedJune 1,2020.
  36. ^"How can I cut my tree down?".City of Del Mar.RetrievedMay 11,2014.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toPinus torreyana.
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