Bahamian pine

The Bahamian variety of Caribbean pine forms open forests on limestone rock – and the Abaco parrot nests in burrows beneath them.

A tall pine with a straight trunk, thick, flaking bark and long needles held in bundles of two or three. The Bahamian variety grows only in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It grows on almost bare, porous limestone, rooting in its cracks, and regular fires keep the forest open, with an understorey of palms and ferns. These forests recharge the underground freshwater lenses on which the islanders depend.

Significance in the country

The “pine yards” are the most characteristic landscape of the northern Bahamas; they were heavily logged in the 20th century, and today they are protected in places such as Abaco National Park, where the Bahamian parrot nests in rock holes beneath the pines.

Where it grows

Only on four northern islands: Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros and New Providence; absent from the other, drier islands.

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