Belize Savanna Factsheet C1 Caribbean Pine (Pinus caribaea)

<strong>Belize</strong> <strong>Savanna</strong> <strong>Factsheet</strong> <strong>C1</strong><strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>Pine</strong> (<strong>Pinus</strong> <strong>caribaea</strong>)The most distinctive tree of the <strong>Belize</strong>an savanna is the pine tree.<strong>Pine</strong>s are a member of the gymnosperms which literallymeans ‘naked seed’. This is because the ovule (whichdevelops into the seed) is not enclosed duringfertilisation within a fruit-like structure like it is in floweringplants. Gymnosperms are an ancient lineage of plantsthat were abundant during the era of the dinosaurs.<strong>Pine</strong>s are wind ‘pollinated’ and do not have flowers.They bear their seeds in distinctive pine cone. Othergymnosperms in <strong>Belize</strong> include the cycads that arecommon in the savanna and mountain cypress(Podocarpus guatemalensis) a tree found particularly inupland forests.<strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>Pine</strong> is very important for timber, so large areas of lowland savannasand Mountain <strong>Pine</strong> Ridge are managed as Forest Reserves to allow the sustainableextraction of timber. <strong>Pine</strong> timber is used mainly for construction and furniture.<strong>Caribbean</strong> pine is such a good timber species that it is actually grown commerciallyacross the world for its timber! The source of much of the <strong>Pinus</strong> <strong>caribaea</strong> grownglobally comes from seed from the Mountain <strong>Pine</strong> Ridge.<strong>Pine</strong> is also incredibly important for theendangered yellow-headed parrot.[See <strong>Factsheet</strong> No. D2] Tall, mature pinetrees with holes in their trunks are theperfect nesting place for this beautifulsavanna bird.Most pine in the lowland savannas of<strong>Belize</strong> is thought to be <strong>Pinus</strong> <strong>caribaea</strong>,however at higher elevations anotherspecies also occurs. Some people thinkthat this species is <strong>Pinus</strong> oocarpa,however recent scientific work suggests that it is <strong>Pinus</strong> tecunumanii.References:FARJON, A. & STYLES, B. T. (1997). <strong>Pinus</strong> (Pinaceae). In: Flora Neotropica. New YorkBotanical Garden.Conservation of the Lowland <strong>Savanna</strong> Ecosystem: <strong>Belize</strong>www.eeo.ed.ac.uk/sea-belize

HICKS, J., et al. (In Press). A Floristic Description of the San Pastor <strong>Savanna</strong> andPreliminary Checklist of the <strong>Savanna</strong>s of <strong>Belize</strong>, Central America. EdinburghJournal of Botany.Conservation of the Lowland <strong>Savanna</strong> Ecosystem: <strong>Belize</strong>www.eeo.ed.ac.uk/sea-belize