The Canary Island pine
The Wood Guide · The pine tree
Conifers · tree portraitThe Canary Island pine
Native only to the Canary Islands. A pine with thick bark that simply sprouts again after a forest fire.
- Pinus canariensis
- Survives forest fires
- Needles in threes
The Canary Island pine in brief
A large, stately pine of the volcanic slopes of the Canary Islands, with an exceptional ability to withstand fire.
On Tenerife, La Palma, Gran Canaria and El Hierro it forms extensive forests on the mountain slopes. Its long, drooping needles in threes catch the clouds and mist that drift against the mountains, and let that water drip down to the ground.
Most striking is the way it deals with fire. A thick, insulating bark protects the trunk, and after a fire the tree sprouts again from dormant buds along its trunk and branches. Very few pine species can do that.
After a forest fire the slopes look black at first, but within a few months green tufts reappear along the charred trunks. The tree survives what would be fatal to many other pines.
- Botanical
- Pinus canariensis
- Origin
- endemic to the Canary Islands
- Height
- usually 30–40 m
- Needles
- in threes, 20–30 cm, drooping
- Distinctive
- resprouts after forest fire
- Heartwood
- 'tea' — very resinous and durable
To be fair: the famous heartwood is scarce and the forests are protected. You mainly come across Canary Island pine in old buildings on the islands, not in the timber trade.
In pictures · How to recognise a Canary Island pine
Schematic drawing.
How to recognise a Canary Island pine
Long, drooping needles
Three to a bundle, up to about 30 cm long and gracefully drooping.
Thick bark
Reddish-brown to grey, thick and cracked into plates — a shield against fire.
Green trunk after fire
After a fire, young shoots sprout along the trunk — something you see on almost no other pine.
Volcanic slopes
It grows on the dry to misty mountain slopes of the islands, often on lava and ash soils.
The wood of the Canary Island pine
'Tea'
On the islands, the dark, resin-saturated heartwood is called 'tea', and it is exceptionally durable.
Balconies and ceilings
The traditional wooden balconies and ceilings of Canarian churches and houses are often made from it.
Sapwood
The paler sapwood is far less durable than the heartwood.
Protected
Felling is strictly limited; today the wood is mainly heritage.
By combing water out of the mist, the pine forests replenish the islands' groundwater. So on the islands, protecting the forest also means managing water.
Frequently asked questions about the Canary Island pine
Where does the Canary Island pine grow?
In the wild, only on the Canary Islands, mainly on Tenerife, La Palma, Gran Canaria and El Hierro.
How does it survive a forest fire?
Thanks to its thick bark and dormant buds that sprout again along the trunk and branches after the fire.
What is 'tea'?
That is what the islanders call the resinous, highly durable heartwood of the Canary Island pine.
How many needles per bundle?
Three, and they are strikingly long, up to about 30 cm.
The Canary Island pine in perspective
A pine that survives fire and turns mist into water — an island species with an exceptional story.
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Photo via Wikimedia Commons: Pinus canariensis — Flocci Nivis, CC BY 4.0