The Hispaniolan Pine is a pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 endemic to the island of Hispaniola

Hispaniola

Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...

, where it is the predominant species in the Hispaniolan pine forests

Hispaniolan pine forests

The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The ecoregion covers , or about 15% of the island...

 of Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 and the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

. Hispaniolan Pines are found mixed with broadleaf trees from 850 metres elevation to 2100 metres elevation, and occur in pure stands above 2100 metres elevation up to the 3087 m summit of Pico Duarte

Pico Duarte

Pico Duarte is the highest peak in all the Caribbean islands. It lies in the Cordillera Central range, the greatest of the Dominican Republic's mountain chains. The Cordillera Central extends from the plains between San Cristóbal and Baní to the northwestern peninsula of Haiti, where it is known as...

, the highest point on the island. They are sometimes found in the lowland Hispaniolan moist forests

Hispaniolan moist forests

The Hispaniolan moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion on the island of Hispaniola. They cover , around 60% of the island's area.-Geography:...

 ecoregion, in areas where poor acidic laterite

Laterite

Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...

 soils predominate.

It is a medium-sized tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

, growing to 20-30 m tall with an open crown. The leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 are dark green, needle-like, in fascicles of [3],[4],5, 11-20 cm long and 0.9-1.3 mm thick. The cones

Conifer cone

A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...

 are 5-8 cm long, glossy brown, with a small prickle on each scale pointing forward; they mature in about 18 months and open to release the seed

Seed

A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...

s, which are 4-5 mm long with a 15 mm wing.

Symbiotic relationships with ectomycorrhizal fungi

Mycorrhiza

A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....

 enable Hispaniolan Pines to grow on shallow, infertile soils.

The closely related Cuban Pine

Cuban Pine

The Cuban Pine is a pine endemic to the eastern highlands of the island of Cuba.The closely related Hispaniolan Pine , native to the neighboring island of Hispaniola, is treated as synonymous by some botanists....

 (P. cubensis), native to eastern Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, is treated as synonymous by some botanists.