Pinus serotina
| Pond pine | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | Pinus |
| Species: | P. serotina |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinus serotina Michx. | |
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| Natural range | |
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.
Pond pine cones are smaller and rounder than loblolly pine cones.
Unlike loblolly pines, pond pines have the ability to grow needles directly from the trunk.[4]
References
- 1 2 "Pinus serotina". Flora of North America (FNA). Missouri Botanical Garden – via eFloras.org.
- ↑ Bramlett, David L. (1990). "Pinus serotina". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. Conifers. Silvics of North America. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 1 – via Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (www.na.fs.fed.us).
- ↑ 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)
- Conifer Specialist Group (1998). "Pinus serotina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 12 May 2006.
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