''Pinus echinata'', the shortleaf pine, 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 accepts ...

native 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 ...

Description

The

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 ...

is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. The tree reaches heights of with a trunk diameter of . The leaves are needle-like, in fascicles (bundles) of two and three mixed together, and from long. The

cones A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

are long, with thin scales with a transverse keel and a short prickle. They open at maturity but are persistent. Shortleaf pine seedlings develop a persistent J-shaped crook near the ground surface. Axillary and other buds form near the crook and initiate growth if the upper stem is killed by fire or is severed. The bark has resin pockets, which form small depressions, less than in diameter. This feature can be used to distinguish ''P. echinata'' from all other ''Pinus'' species within its native range.

Taxonomy

The Latin specific epithet of ''echinata'' refers to

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

, from ''echinus''.

Distribution and habitat

Shortleaf pine has the largest range of the southern US yellow pines. It is found from southernmost New York, south to northern

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 ...

, west to eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and Oklahoma. This pine occupies a variety of habitats from rocky uplands to wet flood plains.

Ecology

With frequent fire, the species creates a savanna, with a very diverse

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

and prime habitat for the

red-cockaded woodpecker The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States. Description The red-cockaded woodpecker is small to mid-sized species, being intermediate in size between North America's two ...

. The tree frequently hybridizes naturally with

loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

and pitch pine where their ranges intersect. Hybridization with loblolly pine has become increasingly frequent in recent decades and results in a loss of fire tolerance.

Uses

This pine is a source of

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 ...

, plywood veneer, and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

for a variety of uses. The shortleaf pine is one of the southern US "

southern yellow pine In ecology and forestry, yellow pine refers to a number of conifer species that tend to grow in similar plant communities and yield similar strong wood. In the Western United States, yellow pine refers to Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine. In the ...

s"; it is also occasionally called southern yellow pine or the shortstraw pine.

References

External links

*
Gymnosperm Database: ''Pinus echinata''NCRS: USDA Plants Profile: ''Pinus echinata''
{{Authority control echinata Trees of the Eastern United States Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Trees of the Southeastern United States Trees of the South-Central United States Trees of the Southern United States Trees of the North-Central United States Trees of the Northeastern United States Least concern plants Taxa named by Philip Miller Trees of North America Trees of the United States