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| Shortleaf Pine | ||||||||||||||
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| Pinus echinata |
The Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata} is a common pine found in the eastern United States from southern New York south to northern Florida, west to the extreme southeast of Kansas, and southwest to eastern Texas. The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. This tree reaches heights of 20-30 m with a trunk diameter of 0.5-0.9 m.
The needles are in bundles of two and three mixed together; needle length ranges from 7-11 cm. The cones are 4-7 cm long and their thin scales have keels and prickles.
This pine is a source of wood pulp, plywood veneer, and lumber for a variety of uses. The Shortleaf Pine is one of the southern US "yellow" pines; it is also occasionally called Southern Yellow pine or the Shortstraw Pine.
This pine occupies a variety of habitats from rocky uplands to wet flood plains.