onomic viewpoint) grows along the coast in savannahs 
and extends inland into the mountains to an elevation 
of about 100 m. In mountainous sites in both British 
Honduras and Guatemala, it grows with Pinus oocarpa. 
Although Pinus caribaea has not been found in Mexico, 
P. oocarpa does descend to 350 m. at one point along the 
Pacific coast in Chiapas. This population of P. oocarpa, 
as well as those occurring in other localities on the 
Tehuantepec Isthmus and in Guatemala, have been re- 
ferred to P. oocarpa var. ochoterenae Martinez. Pinus 
oocarpa is closely related to the variable P. caribaea 
complex, and it is possible to speculate that this variety, 
in particular, might have occurred in lowland sites in the 
past. Also P. strobus var. chiapensis occurs at 250 m. in 
small isolated stands or mixed with the Selva Alta Peren- 
nifolia near Tlapacoyan, Veracruz. Here it occurs on the 
banks of streams and in ravines, sometimes growing very 
close to the water. Additional ecological investigation is 
necessary further to substantiate these possibilities. 
The same sources of injury to the trees which could 
result in excessive production of resin, discussed for the 
Baltic amber, were possible in Chiapas. Hurricanes oc- 
casionally cross Chiapas today (Tannehill 1988), and simi- 
lar tropical storm patterns might well have existed during 
the Oligo-Miocene. Damage from tropical storms could 
have initiated injuries which led to additional damage 
from parasitic plants, insects and other animal activity. 
More observations are needed regarding the degree of 
injury necessary to produce quantities of resin under 
‘‘natural’’ conditions. Knowledge regarding resin pro- 
duction of most of the trees considered in Chiapas has 
come as a result of artificial wounding. Although some 
field observations have been made concerning natural 
agencies which induce resin production, more are needed 
to assess adequately the problem of whether or not trees 
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