Pinus ayacahuite (Cultivated- UK)

Pinus ayacahuite Ehrenb. ex Schltdl., Linnaea 12: 492 1838. (Syn: Pinus ayacahuite subsp. neorecurvata Silba; Pinus ayacahuite var. oaxacana Silba; Pinus buonapartea Roezl ex Gordon [Invalid]; Pinus colorado Parl. [Invalid]; Pinus don-pedrii Roezl; Pinus durangensis Roezl ex Gordon [Invalid]; Pinus hamata Roezl; Pinus loudoniana var. don-pedrii (Roezl) Carrière);

Pinus ayacahuite, also called ayacahuite pine^[1] and Mexican white pine,^[1] (family Pinaceae) is a species of pine native to the mountains of southern Mexico and western Central America, in the Sierra Madre del Sur and the eastern end of the Eje Volcánico Transversal, between 14° and 21°N latitude in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz and Chiapas, and in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

It grows on relatively moist areas with summer rainfalls, however specimens from its eastern and southern distribution live under really wet conditions; it needs full sun and well drained soils. Its temperature needs fluctuate between 19 to 10°C on average a year. This tree accepts from subtropical to cool climate.

Pinus ayacahuite is a large tree, regularly growing to 30-45 m and exceptionally up to 50 m tall. It is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves (‘needles’) are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. The needles are finely serrated, and 9-16 cm long. The cones are long and slender, 15-40 cm long and 4-6 cm broad (closed), opening to 6-10 cm broad; the scales are thin and flexible. The seeds are small, 6-8 mm long, and have a long slender wing 18-25 mm long.

It has been planted with ornamental and commercial purposes for paper industry at different latitudes and altitudes in different parts of the world

(From Wikipedia on 8.12.13)