Pinus serotina
Pond pine | |
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Species: | P. serotina
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Binomial name | |
Pinus serotina | |
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Pinus serotina, the pond pine, marsh pine or pocosin pine, is a tree found along the Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. This pine often has a crooked growth pattern and an irregular top and grows up to 21 metres (69 ft) high,[1] rarely to 29 metres (95 ft).[2]
The needles are in bundles of three or four, and 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long. The almost round cones are 5–8 cm (2–3+1⁄4 in) long with small prickles on the scales. Its cones are usually serotinous, requiring fire to open.[1] The pond pine is found in wet habitats near ponds, bays, swamps, and pocosins.[3]
The species name serotina is derived from the persistently unopened cones that may remain closed for several years before they release their seeds; the opening is often in response to forest fires.
At the north end of its range, it intergrades and hybridises with pitch pine (P. rigida); it is distinguished from that species by the longer needles and on average slightly larger cones. Some botanists treat pond pine as a subspecies of pitch pine.
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Pond pine cones are smaller and rounder than loblolly pine cones.
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Unlike loblolly pines, pond pines have the ability to grow needles directly from the trunk.[4]
References
- ^ a b Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Pinus serotina". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ Bramlett, David L. (1990). "Pinus serotina". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Conifers. Silvics of North America. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
- ^ Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Craig Tufts; Daniel Mathews; Gil Nelson; Spellenberg, Richard; Thieret, John W.; Terry Purinton; Block, Andrew (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling. p. 73. ISBN 1-4027-3875-7.
- ^ Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina: Pond Pine (Pinus serotina)