''Pinus'' × ''rhaetica'', commonly known as Rhætic pine, the species name refers to the
Rhætica alps, located in eastern Switzerland and western Austria. Rhaetic pine is described as a natural
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
of Mountain pine (''
Pinus mugo'') and Scots pine (''
Pinus sylvestris''). It is a
conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
ous tree
nothospecies #REDIRECT Hybrid name
In botanical nomenclature, a hybrid may be given a hybrid name, which is a special kind of botanical name, but there is no requirement that a hybrid name should be created for plants that are believed to be of hybrid origin. ...
located in the
subsection ''Pinus''.
Description
''Pinus'' × ''rhaetica'' has variable
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
.
Commonly Rhætic pines grow as trees, although some are shrubby in form. The trees are 4.5–8 m tall, 3 m broad.
The
trunk
Trunk may refer to:
Biology
* Trunk (anatomy), synonym for torso
* Trunk (botany), a tree's central superstructure
* Trunk of corpus callosum, in neuroanatomy
* Elephant trunk, the proboscis of an elephant
Computing
* Trunk (software), in rev ...
is gray-brown, grayer and more frequently divided into irregular plates than in ''Pinus mugo''. The
bark
Bark may refer to:
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Places
* Bark, Germany
* Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Arts, ...
on major branches resembles that of ''P. sylvestris'' in being reddish brown with papery flakes, but it can also be more like ''P. mugo'' and greyish and persistent.
The
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
(needles) are 4 cm long, usually fresh or dark green like those of ''P. mugo'', although they can be bluish green like those of ''P. sylvestris'', depending on where along the intergrade zone the trees exist. (The images on the left perfectly demonstrate these traits)
Seed
cones resemble those of ''P. mugo'', with strongly developed apophyses on one side, and are often more robust than those of ''P. sylvestris''. Young cones purple-brown, matt, with 3 mm long stalk. Mature cones are oval, cuspidate, 3–3.5 cm long.
Distribution and habitat
The Rhætic pine (''Pinus'' × ''rhaetica'') occurs occasionally throughout the regions where the two species overlap, from the northern side of the French
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
through the Alps to the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
in Slovakia, usually at the junction of the
sub-alpine habitat of ''P. mugo'' and the
montane forests
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
of ''P. sylvestris''.
The Rhætic pine has been introduced into some
Baltic states
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
, with very sparse populations present in western
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
.
In
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, the Rhætic pine is considered an endangered species with a high risk of extinction in nature in the near future.
See also
*
Hybridization in pines Both naturally and artificially occurring pine species ''Pine, (Pinus)'' can Hybrid (biology), hybridize, combining their genetic material and sometimes creating hybrids that can be more or less Heterosis, vigorous than their parent species. An exam ...
References
External links
''Pinus'' × ''rhaetica'' stands in the Węgliniec forest district (photos)
rhaetica
Interspecific plant hybrids
Rhaetian Alps
Alpine flora
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinus rhaetica