''Pinus clausa'' is a species of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, Alabama pine, and scrub pine.

Distribution

The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central peninsular

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and the other along the western Florida panhandle coast into the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

coast. There is a range gap of about between the populations (from Apalachicola to Cedar Key). It is largely confined to very

infertile Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy adult, except notably among certain eusocial species (mostly haplodiploid insects). It is the normal state ...

, excessively well-drained, sandy habitats where competition from larger-growing species is minimized by the harsh growing conditions of hot sun, fast-draining white sands, and frequent severe seasonal droughts. It is often the only canopy tree in the Florida scrub ecosystem.

Description

''Pinus clausa'' is a small, often

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

from , exceptionally to tall. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are needle-like, in pairs, long, and its cones are long.Flora of North America
/ref> Over much of its range, it is fire-adapted to stand-replacing

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s, with the cones remaining closed for many years (''clausa'' = closed), until a natural forest fire kills the mature trees and opens the cones. These then reseed the burnt ground. Some populations differ in having cones that open at maturity, with seed dispersal not relying on fires. Sand pine bark

Uses

''Pinus clausa'' woodlands are an important part of the Florida scrub ecosystem, and provide habitat for the endangered

Florida Sand Skink The Florida sand skink (''Plestiodon reynoldsi'') is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae, the skinks. It is endemic to Florida in the United States. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new genus and new species by Leonhard St ...

, among other species. It is one of the few canopy trees able to grow in arid, sandy, and hot locations with minimal care. While the dense branching makes this tree unsuitable for

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

production, it is often used for

wood pulp Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw mate ...

References

External links

''Pinus clausa''.
USDA PLANTS.
''Pinus clausa''.
Flora of North America. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1259309 clausa Endemic flora of the United States Flora of Florida Trees of the Southeastern United States Garden plants of North America Ornamental trees Plants used in bonsai