Shortleaf Pine
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 Shortleaf Pine forest
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| Pinus echinata Mill. |
The Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) is a common pine found in the eastern United States from southern New York south to northern Florida, west to the extreme southeast of Kansas, and southwest to eastern Texas. The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. This tree reaches heights of 20-30 m with a trunk diameter of 0.5-0.9 m.
The leaves are needle-like, in bundles of two and three mixed together, and from 7-11 cm long. The cones are 4-7 cm long, with thin scales with a transverse keel and a short prickle. They open at maturity but are persistent.
This pine is a source of wood pulp, plywood veneer, and lumber for a variety of uses. The Shortleaf Pine is one of the southern US "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 frequently hybridizes naturally with Loblolly Pine where their ranges intersect.
[edit] References
- Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Pinus echinata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
