PART I: BOTANY
Recognizing a gymnosperm is relatively easy. For our sake, we can look for the “Pine Trees”
(or, more properly, the conifers). But take note that while many refer to any conifer, or
evergreen, as a Pine Tree there are really three botanical families represented in our area: the
Pine, Cypress, and Yew families. So, “Pine” means “Pinus” and “Pine family” means
“Pinaceae.”
The Pine family contains several genera: Pinus
(Pine), Picea (Spruce), Abies (Fir), Tsuga
(Hemlock), and Larix (Larch) are found in our
area. Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) and
some others (including non-indigenous Pine)
can be found in cultivation. I regularly use
White Pine, which is partially due to it being
more common in my area than the other Pines.
I also commonly make use of Hemlock, which
is a primary tree of certain forests and the host
of one of my favorite medicinal mushrooms,
Ganoderma tsugae (Reishi / Ling Zhi). I do not
make much use of the Spruces, except for the
essential oil of Black Spruce, which was
introduced to me by my dear friend Maya. I am
also fond of the essential oil of Balsam Fir,
though I rarely use the “herb” as medicine.
The Cypress family has Taxodium (Bald
Cypress), Thuja (Arbor-vitae), Chamaecyparis
(Atlantic White-cedar), and Juniperus (Juniper
and Red Cedar). Red Cedar is used for prayers
and as a cleansing smudge. It is the closest to
the Western Cedars. Thuja can also be used in
such a way. I suppose any aromatic gymnosperm could, but these are preferred in our area.
The Yew family is mostly found in landscapes as our native Taxus (Yew) is overbrowsed by
deer. English and Japanese domestic varieties are quite common under cultivation and
sometimes naturalize (spread into the wild from cultivation). While the other gymnosperms are
more-or-less non-toxic, the Yews are toxic. (Taxol is from Taxus.) So to avoid poisoning, the
beginner should quickly learn the difference between Yews and the others, especially the
Hemlock and Fir that superficially resemble Taxus because of the leaf (needle) arrangement.
The red “berry” of Taxus is edible, but not the seed (which is actually visible, as it is a
gymnosperm, in the cup-shaped “berry”). It is very common for poisonous plants to concentrate
toxins in the seeds while producing an innocuous fruit.
The Pines and Yews have needles while the Cypress family has scale-like leaves. (One
exception to this generalization is Bald Cypress, which has needle-like leaves that alternate on
deciduous terminal twigs.) They are all needle-like in a way,
but you will notice the scale quality in the Cypress family, such
as with Juniperus or Thuja. If you then learn to recognize the
Yew needle (which are rare in the wild anyway), the remainder
varieties of needles can be known as members of the Pine
family.
Another distinction of the gymnosperms is their cone.
Pinaceae – Pine Family
Pinaceae is the representitive family of the gymnosperms, as the
group consists of the most quintessential evergreen trees. They
tend to be pitchy (they have thick, sticky, aromatic sap), with a
piney and/or citrus-like scent. Their leaves are needles. And
they have the most quintessential cones (often called “pine
cones” no matter what genus they occur on, even if the genus is
of another family), compared to the berry-like cones of
Juniperus and Taxus (Yew), for instance. The cones have
spirally arranged scales and the seeds have wings.
One of the easiest ways to get to
know this family of trees is to get
to know the individual genera:
Pinus, Tsuga, Picea, Larix, and Abies of our area. Cedrus and
Pseudotsuga are native to other parts of the country. Cathaya,
Pseudolarix, Keteleeria, and Nothotsuga are native to China.
IMAGES:
(above) Pitch Pine
note needles in clusters and cone with spines
(right) Black Spruce
note square cross-section of needle
(previous page) Pitch Pine
note twisted needles in a bundle of three
Pines produce resin in their leaves and to varying degrees in their wood. This is one of their
more distinct characteristics and should be regarded as a signature. (A signature of a plant is a
characteristic that results from and represents certain energetic qualities of the plant; and,
therefore, are used as indicators of medicinal potential.) For one thing, we can consider the
flavor and aroma, which is resinous, citrussy, and (of course) piney. This aromatic flavor
generally fits into the pungent or spicy category of Chinese medicine’s five element theory. It
removes, stimulates, and disperses stagnant fluids. Though Tierra considers Pinus tabulaiformis
and P. sylvestris to be bitter in flavor (he also considers it to be warm, which is more
characteristic of pungent than bitter) and Holmes considers Pinus sylvestris to be “a bit pungent
and bitter”. Holmes also considers P. sylvestris to be thermally “neutral with warming and
cooling potential” as well as “dry/moist stimulating” (he defines stimulating generally as a
pungent quality). Even though both authors want to focus on the bitter flavor category, they
describe a largely pungent plant when considering it warm and stimulating. Tierra is following
traditional Chinese classification of Pinus tabulaiformis, P. massoniana, and P. yunnanensis
which utilizes the knots of the wood.
Pinus sylvestris (Scotch Pine) is the most widely distributed Pine. It was brought here from
Europe and can normally be found along driveways and cultivated lands. It can be easily
distinguished from the other common species by its orange shaded upper bark and the light bluegreen of its needles.
In order to differentiate the various genera and then species of Pinaceae, we can use botanical
keys. A key is a checklist of sorts, with which we go step to step through a series of
characteristic traits. For instance (and for starters in the key below), we can look to the key trait
of Larix (Larch) of deciduous needles (leaves). If a tree in question has deciduous needles, than
it is Larch. If not, we can go to the next step: are the needles in bundles (fascicles), as in Pinus,
or are they arranged singly…
Of course, we must first decide which family a given Gymnosperm belongs to. In our area (as
discussed above) we have Ginkgoaceae (which appears as a broadleaf and, besides being easily
differentiated and not native, is not part of our discussion), Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, and
Taxaceae. The latter three can be separated as follows: Cupressaceae has scale-like leaves.
Pinaceae has aromatic needles. And Taxaceae has non-aromatic needles. If we wanted to
arrange this information as a key, we could do so like this:
1. leaves scale-like – Cupressaceae
1. leaves needle-like
2. leaves aromatic – Pinaceae
2. leaves not aromatic – Taxaceae
or:
1. leaves not aromatic – Taxaceae
1. leaves aromatic
2. leaves needle-like – Pinaceae
2. leaves scale-like – Cupressaceae
The following is a key to the genera of the Pine family, followed by a key to each genera.
Then a description of each species is presented.
Local genera of Pinaceae can be keyed out as follows:
1. deciduous trees with needles in whorls – Larix
1. evergreen trees
2. needles in clusters (fascicles) of 2-5 – Pinus
2. needles occurring singly
3. twigs mostly smooth with circular leaf scar – Abies
3. twigs rough with raised leaf scars
4. needles spirally arranged around twig, sessile – Picea
4. needles with petiole arranged on opposite sides of twig – Tsuga
Species can be keyed out with these keys to each of the Genera:
Larix:
Larix laricina, Larch or Tamarack, is the only native species. European Larch, L. decidua, and
Japanese Larch, L. kaempferi, can be found due to cultivation, but not enough to warrant a key.
Pinus:
1. fascicles (leaf bundles) of 5 – Pinus strobus White Pine
1. fascicles of 2 or 3
2. blue-green needles < 9 cm, orange upper bark – P. sylvestris Scotch Pine
2. needles 7-18 cm long
3. fascicles of 3, cone scales with spine – P. rigida Pitch Pine
3. fascicles of 2, cone scales without spine – P. resinosa Red Pine
Although these keys are mostly for wild species, Scotch Pine is included for it is commonly
cultivated in found near wild places. One could also find Jack Pine (P. banksiana), TableMountain Pine (P. pungens), Austrian Pine (P. nigra), and others, but they are not common.
Abies:
Abies balsamea, Balsam Fir, is our only native, wild species. Of course, if you visit a Christmas
tree farm you could likely find other species. Likewise, an arboretum, gardener’s yard, or
ambitiously landscaped property could have other species of Abies or members not listed under
the other genera (these keys are mostly for wild species).
Picea:
1. twigs and bud scales glabrous
1. twigs and bud scales (at least lower) pubescent
Picea glauca White Spruce
2. needles grayish, glaucous, 6-18mm; cones persistant P. mariana Black Spruce
2. needles yellowish and shiny, 10-30mm; cones falling P. rubens Red Spruce
Tsuga:
The single species found in our area is Tsuga canadensis- Hemlock, Eastern Hemlock, or Canada
Hemlock.