Shortleaf Pine (
Pinus echinata)
DBH: 36.14 (cm) measured on 02/04/2022
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pinus echinata, theshortleaf pine,[2]is a species ofpinenative to theeasternUnited Statesfrom southernmost New York State, south to northernFlorida, west to eastern Oklahoma, and southwest to easternTexas. The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. Thistreereaches heights of 20–30 metres (65–100ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.5–0.9 metres (1ft 8in–2ft 11in).
Theleavesare needle-like, infascicles(bundles) of two and three mixed together, and from 7–11cm (23⁄4–41⁄4in) long. Theconesare 4–7cm (11⁄2–23⁄4in) long, with thin scales with a transverse keel and a short prickle. They open at maturity but are persistent.[3]Shortleaf pine seedlings develop a persistent J-shaped crook near the ground surface.[4]Axillary and other buds form near the crook and initiate growth if the upper stem is killed by fire or is severed.
This pine is a source ofwood pulp,plywoodveneer, andlumberfor a variety of uses. The shortleaf pine is one of the southern US "southern yellow pines; it is also occasionally called southern yellow pine or the shortstraw pine. Shortleaf pine has the largest range of the southern US yellow pines.This pine occupies a variety of habitats from rocky uplands to wet flood plains. It frequentlyhybridizesnaturally withloblolly pineandpitch pinewhere their ranges intersect.