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Changbai Scotch Pine

Also known as Meiren (Beauty) Pine, it belongs to the Pinaceae Family, with the Latin name of Pinus Sylverstis var. Sylvestriformis. The evergreen arbor can grow up to 25 to 32 meters high, with a chest diameter of 25 to 100 centimeters. The flavotestaceous and taupe bark on the lower part of the trunk cracks into irregular squamae. The brown yellow or golden yellow bark on the upper part of the trunk cracks into thin squamae and falls off. The acerose leaves grow in bundles, and each bundle, which is thick and hard, and turn flat when twisted, consists of 2 acerose leaves. The female cone is dark mauve. The young fruit is light brown, with reclinate peduncle. The cones are ovoid or coniform, with 4 to 5 centimeters in length and 4.2 to 4.5 centimeters in diameter. The cone turns light taupe when ripe. The seed, a little flat and in taupe or grey black, takes the shape of thin ovoid or obovoid.    

It is adapted to mountainous areas of cool temperate zone with mild climate, high humidity and never-thawy snow covers. The mountainous dark brown forest soil developed from volcanic soil, so it contains little humic compounds, and has a low water-retaining capacity but high permeability of water. The pH value of it is 4.7-6.2. With a deep root system, it is a photophilous plant and can tolerate drought to a certain degree. Tiny forests of Changbai Scotch Pine are often found in regions of lower altitude, while in regions 1300 meters above sea level they are often found in mingled forests together with Korean pines and other trees. Its florescence lasts from the last ten days of May to the first ten days of June. Cones ripen in the middle ten days of August of the following year. The fructification plastochrone interval is 3 to 5 years.

Changbai Scotch Pine is narrowly distributed, found only on the north slope of Changbai Mountain, in Antu County of Jilin Province. With a slinky appearance, it is a preferable species of trees for forestation and is suitable for urban greening project.