FAMILY: PINACEAE
ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
LEAVES: needles in fascicles of 2, twisted
and often divergent; 1.5-3.0 inches long ; yellow-green; in
Louisiana, a blight causes needle loss and yellowing
FLOWER:
FRUIT: cone 1.5 to 2.75 inches long; ovoid-conic
with flat base; sessile; thin scales: dark brown ring on the
inside edge of the scales; umbo dorsal and armed with weak
prickle; persistent 3-4 years
TWIGS: green at first, becoming purplish-glaucous
by the end of first growing season
BARK: thin and smooth when young, becoming
scaly when older
FORM: small tree, normally 40’ x
12”, maximum: 120’ x 3’; persistent branches
HABITAT: good to poor dry sites; pioneer
species, invades old fields
RANGE: Pennsylvania to Alabama; on plateaus
surrounding the Appalachian Mountains
USES: poor quality wood, used for pulp;
out-produces other pines on poor sites; Christmas trees, becoming
less frequent
Best Recognition Features:
- fascicles of 2, twisted, divergent
- thin, smooth bark when young
- purple twigs
- dark ring on cone scales
|
