PINACEAE - - Pine Family

Pinus rigida P. Miller — Pitch Pine

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{Pinus rigida}
Needles / Resin Deposit

{Pinus rigida}
Cone


{Pinus rigida}
Bark w/ epicormic branching


Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) - Tree becoming 25 m. tall, with stiff branches, the bark very rough, the twigs yellow; leaves in 3's, bright-green, 6—12 cm. long, rather stout; sheath 10—15 mm. long; cone 4—7 cm. long, ovoid when closed, globose-ovoid or depressed when open, the scale appendages relatively thin, each with a recurved spine; seed 4—4.5 mm. long, the wing about 1.5 cm. long.

Habitat:

Southward primarily on dry ridges, more or less requiring fire for its reproduction, less commonly in peat soils of mountain bogs (and then often at elevations of 800-1000 m), northward (as in NJ) in acidic sandy and peaty soils near sea level, and also scattered through a variety of forest types. It is abundant near sea level in the Pine Barrens of NJ, but in NC is limited to the mountains and upper Piedmont; it is replaced in Coastal Plain fire-maintained wetland communities by the related Pinus serotina.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.


Distribution

The range of Pinus rigida

The range of Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].



The range of Pinus rigida

The Georgia range of Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine)

Zomlefer, W.B., J.R. Carter, & D.E. Giannasi. 2014 (and ongoing). The Atlas of Georgia Plants. University of Georgia Herbarium (Athens, Georgia) and Valdosta State University Herbarium (Valdosta, Georgia). Available at: http://www.georgiaherbaria.org/.



Guide to the Trees of North Georgia and Adjacent States
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