pine

pine   A genus of trees _   pineal .

One of the most important types of wood, as it is important for many industries such as furniture, musical instruments, etc. The kitchen utensils made of pine are characterized by their strong resistance to germs, and it is indispensable to mention the importance of pine in perfumes when extracting its oil.

Geographical distribution

Pine spreads in cold and temperate regions. In the Arab world, there are types of pine, and it is found in the mountains of the Levant , as it is found in the regions of Mount Lebanon ( Matn   and Keserwan   And the chouf   and high ) and in Syria in the mountains of Latakia   And Mount Aleppo, and in the Syrian forest areas, and it is found in northern and central Palestine   And Jordan . In the Maghreb , it is found in the forests northwest of Tunisia and in the mountains of Algeria   And the Moroccan countryside , and it is found in the vicinity of the city of Al-Bayda   Green Mountain in Libya .

Botanical description

The fruiting pine is a tree with a height of / 30 / m. Lives up to / 150/ years, and sometimes up to / 250/ years. The crown is spherical in young trees, then becomes flat in the form of an umbrella in mature trees . Monoecious yellow studded with brown, large fruiting cones, 8-15 cm in length. The cones ripen within three years and are collected at the end of summer and during autumn . The pine tree is erect, with a height of 15-40 meters. It has a single trunk that is very thin and branched and may become strong and twisted. The color of Medham is blackish, and the shape of the wild leaves, and their length ranges from 8-15 cm, and they are tough, not twisted or bound.. It is a monoecious tree, it flowers and blooms in the spring.. As for its color, it is dark green, and every two leaves of it meet on the main branch, and their arrangement is The branches are irregular, some of them are vertical, sometimes inclined, and others are at an acute angle towards the outside or towards the bottom of the branch, depending on their age. perpendicular to it. The cones are either ovate or conical, stalked with a light tan or yellowish-brown colour. These cones ripen in the fall of the second year after pollination, and these pine cones do not fall to the ground except at this time when the scales have also opened . Its trunk is upright, reaching 20-35 meters, and its scales are closely packed in layers, and its branches are thick and spready. The base is cut off, covered with thick scales, and its seeds are large, oblong, and covered with a thick wall that is difficult to break. It is also used in human food and making sweets.. Pine nuts to reach the first production stage between 17 and 25 years, then their production increases according to their location, soil quality, and their growth over time. Pine nuts are used in preparing appetizers and desserts in Lebanon and many other countries. The harvesting process begins in December, when workers climb into the pine trees and drop the cones using long sticks, which is a dangerous process, as the trees may reach a height of more than ten meters. After collecting the pinecones, they are usually left on the roofs of the houses and exposed to the sun and air to dry. Then the pine nuts are extracted from them through machines called “pine crushers”.

Nutritional information

Each cup (135g) of pine nuts, according to the USDA, contains the following nutritional information:

• Calories : 909
• Fat : 92.30
• Saturated fat : 6.61
• Carbohydrates : 17.66
• Fiber : 5
• Proteins : 18.48
• Cholesterol : 0

There are dozens of species of pine, including:

• Aleppo pine : It consists of yellowish-white softwood and reddish-brown heartwood. Pine wood contains resinous channels that secrete resin in the tree trunk. The average production of the tree is estimated at about 3 kg per year. The sinuous trunks provide wood for ordinary carpentry uses, boxes, and in the manufacture of paper pulp. After removing the resin. As for the straight trunks, their wood is used in telephone and electricity poles, in carpentry, and in the manufacture of paper pulp.
• Pinus Protea : Pine Protea wood is relatively hard and heavy and is used in carpentry, telephone and electricity poles, boxes and paper pulp industry after removing the resin. Protea pine wood is distinguished from Aleppo pine wood in that the annual growth rings are completely distinct. Protea pine gives less resin than Aleppo pine, as the tree's annual production of resin is estimated at about 1.5-2 kg.
• There is also a third type that spreads in China in particular and on Mount Huangshan (which is a well-known tourist area in China), and these trees are called Yingkhezong. The pine tree means welcoming guests, and it is a famous tree in China, to the extent that the Great Hall of the People in Beijing is adorned with its image. There is another species in the same mountain that branches at its trunk into two trees, and they call it Tongchinsong, which means the pine of one heart, and the Qingliusong pine tree, which means the pine of the two lovers, or the Fenghuangsong pine tree, which means the phoenix, because its shape resembles the legendary phoenix .
• Pine nut : There are several types of pine fruit, some of which are available in the local market under the name of Turkish pine, Chinese pine and municipal pine.

the environment

Pine is easy to cultivate and does not require many environmental requirements. It also prevents soil erosion and resists desertification . Pine fruit is generally flexible in terms of environmental requirements, as it is sensitive to light and heat, and tolerates relatively dry lands. Pine prefers humid and semi-humid areas, and it can live on the semi-dry floor. It can also withstand absolute minimum temperatures that may reach -20 degrees Celsius and absolute maximum temperatures. It is higher than 40 degrees Celsius. The annual rainfall rate is more than / 400 / mm. It spreads in the plain areas up to / 1300 / m above sea level, but is abundant at an altitude of / 300 / meters. It is indifferent to the degree of soil pH = 4-9. It tolerates up to 50% of the total lime and 15% of the effective lime in the soil. Therefore, it is considered a lime-repelling species. It tolerates dry and quarried lands and does not tolerate salty soil.

The seeds are soaked for 24 hours in water at a temperature of (4-5) degrees Celsius, then they are sown in a bag containing an earthy mixture in the following proportions (1:1:1) sand-soil-fertilizer, during the autumn months. The seedlings remain in the nursery for a full year, then they are transferred . Then to the permanent ground to be forested in the appropriate place. Pine seedlings begin with missionary pregnancy when they reach the age of about (12-15) years, and they reach the peak of their pregnancy at the age of (40-50) years. The average amount of seeds that can be obtained per hectare is 300 kg, and it can give more than that depending on the environmental conditions of the tree. The age of the tree and the work of service...etc. Note that the pine tree bears fruit annually, that is, it is not characterized by resistance, but the amount of its production of seeds varies from year to year.

uses

Pine tree

It is an evergreen tree whose roots and stems contain an oily resinous substance (when the stem of these trees is wounded, an aromatic oily liquid flows out of it when distilled. The resin known as rosin separates from it, and the oil known as turpentine remains, as these two components are used in industry and medicine). Pine has a medical benefit that is not hidden from anyone. It is prescribed for chest diseases, as an anti-cough, and it is taken soaked in 25-40 g of tree buds in a liter of water for three hours. It is drunk against intractable colds, chest infections in general, and all ailments of the airways. Turpentine oil is also used in industries and medicine as a disinfectant and reddening of the skin, and it is used topically in medicine . Teeth to stop bleeding after molars extraction , it is also used to relieve colic and expel worms.

It also has a nutritional benefit, as the ancients used to extract flour from pine nuts to make bread, and oil was squeezed out of its seeds, and many types such as resin, turpentine, and vegetable tar were extracted from it. Delicious sweets are made from pine nuts, and it participates with other nuts in the manufacture of sweets, and it is used in making a number of foods as spices . It is decorated and flavored for its flavor and taste.

Pine life cycle

Pine is a monoecious plant, so the male and female cones are found separately on the same plant , and pollination takes place, as the pollen grains are transferred from the pollen sacs to the ovules. After the pollen grain settles on the sticky pollen point and then enters through the opening of the hilum into the nucleus, the pollen grain cell divides into two cells that represent the male gametophyte, a third cell is the antherid cell (which then becomes a cervical cell and another somatic cell) and a fourth cell is the tubular cell. The tubular cell inside the nucleus elongates to give the pollen tube, and the pollen grain lies at this stage for a while and then resumes its activity.

The somatic cell has divided, forming two male cells whose nuclei move into the pollen tube, then one of the two male nuclei unites with the nucleus of the egg to form the nucleus of the zygote (2n), whose divisions form a small germinal embryo consisting of a subcotyledon peduncle at one end of which is a root and at the other end a feather surrounded by a large number of cotyledons .

The remaining part of the female gametophyte remains surrounding the embryo to form the endosperm , and the ovule hardens to form the seed coat, to which a thin wing attaches, helping the seeds to spread by the wind .

When the flower buds germinate, they have a root that penetrates the soil, and the peduncle elongates under the cotyledon and carries the cotyledons and the feather above the soil surface, meaning that germination is pneumatic in pine trees, then the seedling gradually turns into a tree of unlimited growth. ^[