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Key
1. Seedlings germinate in the warmth and moisture of the soil.
2. Planting is done in winter when the plant is dormant and needs
little water and air.
3. Pruning to remove lower branches when they are still small,
produces clear, knot-free timber.
4. The tree is ready to fell between 25 to 40 years old depending
on climate and soil.
5. Female cones are formed on the higher branches of the tree.
6. Minute, yellow wind-blown pollen grains fertilise the female
cones in August.
7. Clusters of male cones form at the tips of the lower branches,
so seldom fertilise female cones on the same tree.
8. The female cone is mature, with ripe seeds, 2-and-a-half years
after pollination.
9. The mature cone opens in hot, dry conditions to release seeds.
10. Each scale protects two seeds which are released as the cone
opens.
Identification
Radiata Pine
• Generic name: pinus radiata
• Country of origin: California, USA.
• Trunk: dark brown bark divided into deep ridges.
• Leaf: thin needles found in groups of three (sometimes two)
less than 15 cm long.
• Seed: contained in pine cones.
• Appearance: pale coloured sapwood, pinkish brown
heartwood.
• Properties: medium density softwood. Non-durable unless
treated. Glues, nails and machines to very high standard.
• Uses: widely used throughout New Zealand, Chile and
Australia. Can be treated for a wide range of uses –
structural, furniture, railway sleepers, joinery, pallets,
posts and poles, plywood, paper, house building. |