3.1 | Geographical distribution of the large-seeded
pines in China
Generally speaking, the distribution of large-seeded pines is interlaced
from Northeast to Southwest China. Among them, P. fenzeliana ,P. gerardiana , and P. dabeshanensis are distributed in
dots (Fig. 1, Table 2).
P. fenzeliana is a unique species in China with a punctate
distribution that is mainly found in the montane slope of Guangdong,
Guangxi, and Hainan at an altitude of 1000-1600 m. P. gerardianais mainly found in the subalpine and xeric areas of Zada in Western
Tibet at an altitude of approximately 2700 m as well as a small area in
the northwest of the Himalayas. Because the distribution area ofP. gerardiana in Tibet is narrow and located in the plateau, the
research environment is difficult to sustain, hence, there is still no
report on P. gerardiana seeds. P. dabeshanensis is
a rare species that is endemic to China and is mainly distributed on the
montane slopes of the Dabie Mountains in Southwestern Anhui and Eastern
Hubei at an altitude of 900-1400 m. P. dabeshanensis is a
rare and endangered species, where its pollen maturity occurs during the
rainy season with a low success rate of pollination resulting in low
seed yield. P. koraiensis is only distributed within the brown
forest land zone with an elevation of 150-1800m in the Changbai and
Jilin Mountains as well as south of the Xiaoxing’an Mountains in
Northeast China, where it is one of the primary forest species. In its
natural distribution area, it is often found in a mixed
broadleaf-conifer forest or a mixed coniferous forest. P. pumilais distributed within the arctic treeline and subalpine in the Daxing’an
and Changbai Mountains in Northeast China at an altitude of 1200-1800 m.P. bungeana is an endemic species to China. It is mainly
distributed within the steep south-facing mountain slopes at an altitude
of 500-1800 m of Shanxi, Western Henan, Southern Gansu, Northern
Sichuan, and Western Hubei. P. bungeana was clustered within the
primary population and is the dominant species in the community.P. armandii is mainly distributed on the montane and limestone
slopess of Southern Shanxi, Southwestern Henan, Shanxi, Southern Gansu,
Sichuan, Western Hubei, Central and Northwestern Guizhou, Yunnan, and
Tibet at an altitude of 1000-3300 m. Compared to the other Pinusspecies, P. armandii is the most widely distributed and covers
the south of the Taihang Mountains. P. sibirica is distributed in
the mountains and river valleys of the Kanas River in the upper reaches
of Bulzin in the northern part of the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang. The
climate of this basin is wet and cold throughout the year. In the ashing
land zone of the mountainous grassland at an altitude of 1600-2350 m,P. sibirica often mixes with Larix sibirica to form a
mixed forest that is mainly composed of P. sibirica .