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Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)
Photo: jacilluch, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries tree

Maritime pine

Pinus pinaster

Family: Pinaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Portugal, France.

The maritime pine is a tall conifer with thick, deeply fissured, reddish-brown bark and long, stiff needles in pairs. It produces large, heavy cones that stay on the branches for a long time. It grows well on poor, sandy soils and stabilises coastal dunes. It provides valuable timber and resin, which was once used to make rosin and turpentine. However, it is highly flammable and often suffers in summer wildfires.

Description from: Portugal.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Portugal no. 4 of 10 native

    The maritime pine is one of Portugal’s most important forest trees; the historic Pinhal do Rei near Leiria supplied timber for the fleets of the explorers, and the timber and resin industries sustained whole regions for centuries.

  2. France no. 5 of 10 native

    In the 19th century the marshy sands of the Landes were planted with maritime pines to drain the land and halt the shifting dunes – creating the Landes Forest, one of the largest forests in Europe.