Anatomical and morphological features of the needles of Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri D. Don) under the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea

Abstract

The article presents the results of studying the anatomical and morphological features of vegetative organs of the North American species Pinus coulteri D. Don when introduced to the Southern Coast of the Crimea (SCC). The research was carried out in the park communities of the SCC using generally accepted methods. The features of the formation of annual growth of shoots, metric indicators of needles, as well as the specifics of morpho-anatomical structures of needles are determined. It was found that the average length of shoots of model trees of P. coulteri in park communities of the SCC varies from 5.1±0.2 to 5.7±0.3 cm. The length of the annual increase under the conditions of introduction is influenced by the amount of precipitation of the previous year (r = 0.91). The length of needles on the SCC is within these values in the natural area, but the average values are slightly lower. Anatomical features of P. coulteri needles are quite stable under various cultivation conditions. P. coulteri needles are stiff due to the increased number of sclerotized hypodermic cells. In P. coulteri needles, some inclusions with essential oil are noted, the maximum amount of which is in the first layer of the mesophyll.