Pinus massoniana

It is an evergreen tree reaching in height, with a broad, rounded crown of long branches. The bark is thick, grayish-brown, and scaly plated at the base of the trunk, and orange-red, thin, and flaking higher on the trunk. The leaves are needle-like, dark green, with two per fascicle, long and wide, the persistent fascicle sheath long. The cones are ovoid, long, chestnut-brown, opening when mature in late winter to broad. The seeds are winged, long with a wing. Pollination occurs in mid-spring, with the cones maturing 18–20 months after. From genomic sequencing it has an exceptionally large 21.91 Gb genome and 80,366 protein-coding genes. Life cycle The species flowers from April to May, and fruits from October to December. == Distribution and habitat ==

It is native to Taiwan, a wide area of central and southern China including Hong Kong, and northern Vietnam, growing at low to moderate altitudes, mostly below but rarely up to above sea level. == History ==

The species was once dominant in early Hong Kong and is the only pine native to the territory. In 1894, it was threatened by infestations of Masson pine caterpillar (Dendrolimus punctatus), whose outbreaks caused widespread defoliation and the death of many trees. The damage persisted until pesticide control measures were introduced in the 1950s. The slash pine has since substituted P. massoniana, because it is resistant to the pests. == Uses ==

The species is a common tree used in plantation forestry for replacing or compensating for the loss of the natural forest in southern China, owing to its tolerance of poor soils and drought conditions. with P. massoniana being one of the principal species used for rosin production in China. == Gallery of images ==

File:Pinus massoniana 1.jpg| File:Pinus massoniana 2.jpg| File:Pinus massoniana SZ114.png| File:A description of the genus Pinus (Tab. XII) (7797056550).jpg == Notes ==