Canary Island Pine - Definition and Overview

Canary Island Pine
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus Species: canariensis
Binomial name
Pinus canariensis

The Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis) is a species in the genus Pinus, family Pinaceae. This pine is a native to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, but has been used horticulturally in other warm areas. In South Africa and Australia, this tree has become naturalized from landscape use. The Canary Island Pine is a sub-tropical pine and does not tolerate low termperatures or hard frost.

This pine grow to 40-50 m tall, exceptionally up to 60 m. The yellow-green needles which droop at full length are 15-30 cm long and in bundles of three. The cones are 10-23cm long.

The native range has been somewhat reduced due to over-cutting so that only the islands of Tenerife and La Palma still have large forests.

This tree is popular for horticultural use in warm climates.