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Woody > Pinus > Pinus echinata > Pinus echinata

Pinus echinata


Shortleaf Pine




            Mike's Opinion

this is Mike

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This tree is a valuable plant for timber and is also used in erosion control. Needles are bluish-green colour.



Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)

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Family
Pinaceae
Genus
Pinus
Species
echinata
Category
Woody
Type
Tree (evergreen)
Pronunciation
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-9
Canadian Hardiness Zone
6-8b
Temperature (°C)
-20 to -3
Temperature (°F)
-10 to 25
Height
25 - 30 m
Spread
15 - 25 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
April
Landscape
Important timber species. This tree thrives in environments where the soil has been disturbed. Often planted to help control erosion at old mine sites.
Cultivation
This tree forms a deep tap root and therefore is somewhat difficult to transplant. Extremely adaptable to different climates and commonly found on dry, upland soils.
Shape
This tree is tall and broad. The branches are slightly pendulous. Crown is an open conical shape.
Growth
Fast
ID Characteristic
Bark has small round holes which often appear damp with resin; these holes are called pitch pockets.
Pests
Suffers from Nantucket pine-tip moth, Southern pine beetle and little leaf disease.
Habitat
Grows in the Southern United States. Mostly grows on upland soils and neglected old fields.
Bark/Stem Description
Bark is scaly and dark on young trees, eventually becoming more textured with age. Trunk colour is reddish brown and broken into irregular flat plates that are 20 - 40 cm in length and 10-15 cm wide.
Flower/Leaf Bud Description
The buds are oblong-ovoid in shape, .5 cm long, brown in colour, slightly resinous, and the scales are closely oppressed.
Leaf Description
Needles are in fascicles of 2, but also in 3's on the same tree. 12 cm in length, dark bluish green in colour, slender, finely toothed and flexible. Persistent in the 2nd season through the 4th.
Flower Description
Flowers are monoecious. Males flowers are cylindrical, red to yellow in clumps at the ends of the twigs. Female flowers are light green to red. Flowers are 1 cm by 1cm. Flowers in the spring of the second growing season.
Fruit Description
Fruit is oblong to conical, 3-8 cm in length, 3-5 cm wide. Usually persistent for several years. Dorsal side of the fruit is armed with a small, sharp prickle.
Colour Description
Needles are bright blue green in early spring and change slightly to a duller colour in the later months of the season. The bark is dark brown and turns reddish brown with maturity.
Texture Description
The bark is medium to coarse textured. Irregular flat plates are raised and thickly textured.
Propagation
Seed requires no pre-treatment. Cuttings are easily propagated as well, but root best when taken from young trees.
References
Fox Hollow Farms, Langton, Ontario
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