Pinus Radiata

This forest tree, limited in its natural distribution mainly to the Monterey Peninsula in California, was discovered in the botanical sense by two botanists separately, but at about the same time. Coulter first found it in 1830 and this collection was named Pinus radiata. Very soon afterwards Douglas, a Scottish botanist, collected it and named it P. insignis. It has sometimes been thought that the two names refer to different trees, but this is not so. Radiata pine was, of course, known before it was collected botanically, and, indeed, in Don's description he refers to the timber from the tree as a good shipbuilding timber used by the Spaniards in California. In its native habitat it is a tree which, on the best sites, grows to heights of 150 ft or more and shows great variation in form of growth. It hybridises naturally with at least one neighbouring pine, P. attenuata, and has one or two distinct varieties in islands off the Californian coast.

 

having all said that, the Pine Trees these days are commercially a commodity and huge parts of New Zealand and Australia are planted out.......in many cases, the native plants, trees and bush had to suffer and driven on the brink of exstinction and beyound.

 

this Pinus Radiata stands tall at the Botanical Garden in Christchurch and I share great memories with her.

 

Done