OCOTE: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, IMPORTANCE AND USES - BIOLOGY - 2024

The ocote (Pinus teocote), also known as the ocote pine, Chinese ocote, Aztec pine, royal pine, red pine or red pine, is a tree native to Mexico and Central America. It is a member of the Pinaceae family.

Its wood is used in construction and as a raw material for the production of paper and cellulose. It is also mixed with the wood of the Caribaea Pine to be sold in the international market. In addition to its timber use, this pine is characterized by being a good producer of pine resin.

Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. Source: sharloch

characteristics

Height

It is a tree with a height between 10 and 20 meters, and can vary between 8 and 25 meters.

Cup

It has a wide irregular crown, with dense and upright foliage. As a young man, his glass is pyramidal in shape. However, when it matures it takes on a round shape.

Trunk

It is characterized by being straight, sometimes bifurcated and with an average diameter of 75 cm.

Cortex

In young trees, their bark is characterized by being thin and reddish-brown in color. While, in adult trees this varies, showing a bark that is greyish brown on the outside and reddish brown on the inside, being thicker and rougher with broad plates, of irregular and deep shape.

Branches

These are unevenly distributed. The branches of the first order are thin, twisted from below or spread horizontally; on the other hand, those of a higher order are thin, flexible, slightly hanging and form the open crown of the tree.

Bouquets

They are brown or reddish in color, and rough. The bases of their bracts are decayed.

Leaves

It has an evergreen foliage, 3 to 4 leaves per fascicle, approximately 9 to 16 cm (commonly 10 to 15 cm) long. They are thick, 2mm, and strong. The length of the peduncle varies between 0.7 to 12 cm, and that of the cone between 5 to 6.5 cm.

As for its color, it can vary from bright green to yellowish green. Their bracts are smooth, not decurrent, with drooping bases.

Pods

In young plants, the pods measure 10 to 15 mm, are scaly and have a dark brown color, these characteristics vary in adult plants, since they become persistent and can measure 5 to 8 mm in the fascicles.

Epicormic outbreaks

As is well known, epicormic shoots are single-bud suckers in the woody areas of the plant. In the case of the species Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schtldl. & Cham., It is characterized by often presenting adventitious epicormic shoots, growing around the trunk.

Seeds

Its seeds are ovate in shape, somewhat flattened from 3 to 5 mm. S color ranges from gray to dark brown. With a wing 15 mm long and 5 mm wide, obliquely to ovate - oblong.

These species release their pollen in the months of April and May, and the ripening time of their fruits is for the month of October.

Wood

It is characterized by having a strong, high quality wood, which produces abundant turpentine.

Taxonomy

The ocote is commonly known as Teocote Pine, Colorado Peak, Huichil, Royal Pine, Chinese Pine, Aztec Pine.

Its taxonomic description is as follows

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Tracheophyta

Class: Pinopsida

Order: Pinales

Family: Pinaceae

Genus: Pinus

Species: Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schtldl. & Cham.

Habitat and distribution

It is difficult to pin down an exact habitat, as the ocote grows over a fairly wide range of conditions. Its altitude range is between 1000 - 3000 meters above sea level. This species is adapted to sub-humid and humid climates, and to annual rainfall with ranges between 1000 and 1500 mm.

Distribution of Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. Source: Critchfield, William Burke. & Little, Elbert L., Washington, DC: US ​​Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service

It grows best in areas with loamy and clay loam soils, with good drainage, at acidic or neutral pH. They can also grow in dry and rocky soils, however, this affects their growth and development, influencing their commercialization.

Regarding its distribution, reports indicate that this species is native to Mexico. It is also present in Guatemala.

However, in Mexico it has a wide range of distribution, being in the states of Coahuila, Sinaloa, Nuevo León, Durango, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Guerrero, Aguascalientes, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelo, Michoacán, State of Mexico, Puebla, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Importance and Uses

The wood of Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schtldl. & Cham., Is very important as it is strong, of good quality, hard, with a fine texture and very resinous, like turpentine.

In addition, it has great ecological importance, since this species coexists more frequently with the white ocote fungus, establishing a relationship of mutual help. This symbiosis, better known as mycorrhiza, is decisive for the growth and development of both the fungus and the tree.

Commercial use

Due to the quality of its wood and the turpentine and cellulose, it is used for sawmilling, papermaking, packing boxes or piles for mines. It is also used for construction, charcoal, and home furnishings.

The same happens with the resin it produces, which, being of good quality, has gained considerable commercial interest.

From turpentine, they get balsamic stimulants. Among its most common uses are in plywood as plywood and particle board centers, as well as for molded furniture, obtaining tar and cosmetics.

Medicinal use

Its bark is used to treat certain diseases of the respiratory system such as asthma and sinusitis. Also as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory. Its flower is used as an antioxidant, since it has about 40 antioxidants.

There are reports that indicate its use for the skin, such as in the case of chafing; or to relieve bone pain, as well as inflammation of the gums due to its elastin content. Like resin, elastin is used to treat sprains.

Ornamental use

It is used in pure plantations along boundaries.

Agroforestry use

It is a pine widely used for reforestation, since it favors the formation and recovery of the soil with a large amount of litter. It is also very useful for erosion control and for its ability to thrive on degraded soils.

References

1. Barrera C. 2011. Cariological study of Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schlechtendal and Chamisso. Special degree work, presented to obtain the title of Forest Engineer. Chapingo Autonomous University, Forest Sciences Division. Chapingo, Texococo. Mexico.
2. Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schtldl. & Cham. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
3. De la Paz-Pérez C. and Dávalos-Sotelo R. 2016. Anatonical characteristics of the Wood of six Pinus (Piaceae) species of the state of Durango, México. Wood and Forests. Vol. 22 No. 3: 113-132.
4. López G. and Mateo J. 2005. Catalog of trees and shrubs, first part: Coniferales. Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Center for Forest Research. 2005
5. Hernández-Ramos J., García-Magaña J., García-Cuevas X., Hernández-Ramos A., Muñoz-Flores J and Samperio-Jiménez M. 2014. Site index for Pinus teocote Schiede ex Schtldl. & Cham. natural stands in Hidalgo Mexican Journal of Forest Sciences. Vol 6 (27): 24-36.
6. Ramírez E. 2000. Variation of seeds and seedlings of three provenances of Pinus teocote & Cham. Special degree work, presented to obtain the title of Master in Forest Ecology. University of Veracruz, Institute of Forest Genetics. Veracruz, 2000.