Pine Trees in Hawaii
- Several species of pine trees grow in Hawaii.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Many types of pine trees grow in the island state of Hawaii, many of which have been introduced from their native regions. After Captain James Cook discovered what he called the "Sandwich Islands," many more explorers traveled to this tropical location in the center of the Pacific Ocean, from the early whalers to missionaries. Many species of plants, insects and animals entered the islands, where some became invasive, such as the ironwood pines. - This large pine grows to 130 feet tall and is native to Norfolk Island, which is near the east coast of Australia. It is known botanically as Araucaria columnaris, and is sometimes called the Cook Island pine. The branches grow in a unique configuration of rings around the trunk. The leaves are narrow and pointed: they reach ½ inch in length. It produces both male and female cones, usually on separate trees. Male cones are 2 inches long and up to ¾-inch wide, while female cones can reach up to 6 inches in length with a diameter of 4 inches. The wood is similar in strength to the Rocky Mountain Douglas fir and is lightweight. It is knotty and often used for paneling, bowls and bracelets. The Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used as a Christmas tree. It has been planted on all of the main Hawaiian Islands.
- The Casuarina cunninghamiana is an introduced species of pine also known as river-oak casuarina, small-cone ironwood, Australian pine or beefwood. It is native to Australia and some of the other Pacific islands and is considered invasive in Hawaii. This pine is evergreen and grows to 80 feet tall, with thin twigs that resemble pine needles and droop toward the ground. The cones are small and brown, no larger than 3/8 inch in diameter: they look like a ball with warts. It's a nitrogen-fixing tree and can survive in harsh, eroded conditions. The wood is said to resemble oak, but is not as strong. It has been used in windbreaks and as firewood. As many as 13,000 of these trees have been planted in Hawaii's forest reserves, mainly on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. It has a large root system and is not appropriate for planting in urban settings.
- The Cryptomeria japonica is also called the Japanese cedar. It was introduced after Captain James Cook discovered the islands in the late 1700s. It grows to 80 feet tall in Hawaii and has a diameter up to 1.5 feet. Its shape is like a cone or pyramid. The blue-green leaves are like needles and grow up to 5/8-inch long. Cones are small, up to ¾-inch long and are round or oblong. They grow at the bases of leaves and often occur in clusters of 20 or more. The wood of this pine is durable and aromatic, having a strength similar to the western red cedar. It is considered one of the most important types of timber in Japan, where it has been used for many construction purposes and furniture making. In Hawaii, it has been planted in plantations on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. The wood of this pine has been used only as fence posts.
- This member of the true pine genus is called Pinus elliottii in the botanical world. Its native location is the southwestern United States, including the tropical area of the Florida Keys. Although it was introduced to Hawaii after Captain James Cook discovered the Islands in the late 1700s, it is well adapted to a year-round warm climate. It's an evergreen tree with narrow, needlelike leaves and a tall straight trunk, up to 90 feet tall. The pinecones are scarce; what forms are conical or egg-shaped cones up to 6 inches long. The timber is valuable commercially for construction purposes, and plantations of the slash pine were planted in Hawaii, where young trees were often thinned and used as fence posts. However, when it grows in Hawaii, the wood of the slash pine is less dense than when it grows in its native range. On the islands of Kauai and Molokai it was planted along with other pine species to help prevent erosion.
