Woody > Pinus > Pinus echinata > Pinus echinata
Pinus echinata
Shortleaf Pine
Mike's
Opinion
"
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)
"
| 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
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| 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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