Pinus Kwangtungensis is a Pinaceae species endemic to China.

Protection class

It is a Class II national protected wild plant. It is also listed as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

　　Distribution and habitat

　　It is distributed in Hainan, includingLedong, Baisha, and Wuzhishan.

　　It grows well in deep, well-drained acidic soil with cool and humid climate conditions. It can grow in infertile land and even in overhanging rocks and stone fractures as well. It is usually found in monodominant community along the mountain slopes at an altitude of 1,000-1,500 meters, mixed with Tsuga longibracteata, Tsuga chinensis, Cyclobalanopsis multinervis, Lithocarpus chrysocomus, Schima remotiserrata, and Parakmeria lotungensis. Pinus Kwangtungensis is a tree species in the emergent layer of the forest and stands above the canopy of other broad-leaved trees.

　　Morphological characteristics

　　Pinus Kwangtungensis is a tree up to 30 meters tall and 1.5 meter in DBH. It has thick, brown, scaly bark; the 1st-year branchlets are pale brown, while old branchlets are grayish brown or yellow-brown, all rarely puberulent; and the winter buds are black-brown, slightly resinous. Bud scales are loosely arranged in a triangular-lanceolate shape. The apex is tapering, with irregular transparent hairy edges. It has thick and short needles 2-5 per bundle, each 3.5-8 cm long, with a pointed apex and serrulate edges. 4-5 white stomatal lines are found on both sides of the ventral surface. One layer of subcortical cells is in the cross section, with 2-3 resin canals (2 marginal and 1 median). The inner cortical cells wall is obviously thickened. Seed cones are usually solitary, cylindric-oblong or cylindric-ovoid ( 4-9/17 × 3-6/7 cm), pedunculate (peduncle 0.7-2 cm). They are reddish brown at maturity and slightly resinous. Seed scales are cuneate-obovate, 2.5-3.5 × 1.5-2.3 cm; apophyses are rhombic, with thin apex, straight or slightly incurved. Seeds are ellipsoid or obovoid, 0.5-2.2 cm in length, together with wings (0.1-0.2 cm) subequal to seed scales. Pollination begins from April to May, and seeds reach maturity in late autumn of the second year. Unlike Pinus fenzeliana, Pinus Kwangtungensis has shorter needles, only about 10-12 cm long.