Pinus L. (Pinaceae)

A genus of about 110 species of trees; northern Hemisphere, south to Central America.

Thirteen species occur in North Carolina; eight are considered native to the state.

1. Needles 5 in each bundle, each needle with 1 vascular bundle...P. strobus (White pine)

Bark of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus strobus (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles [5 per bundle] of Pinus strobus (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus strobus (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus strobus (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus strobus

U.S. distribution of Pinus strobus

Pinus strobus (White pine)
(Common; Moist to dry forests, bottomlands, dry, rocky ridges in humid gorges; Mt, Pd; Fl: Apr, Fr: Aug-Sep)

1. Needles 2-3 (-4) in each bundle, each needle with 2 vascular bundles...2.

2. Bracts and bud scales fimbriate; sheath > 1.3 cm long; needles 20-50 cm long, in bundles of 3 (-4); twigs about 1 cm in diameter...P. palustris (Longleaf pine)

Bark of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Twigs of Pinus palustris (coming soon)

Bud of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Grass stage of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus palustris (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus palustris (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus palustris

U.S. distribution of Pinus palustris

Pinus palustris (Longleaf pine)
(Common; formerly throughout the CP, Sandhills, and lower Pd, on a wide variety of soils [sandy, loamy, clayey, or peaty], from very dry to very wet conditions, in savannas, woodlands, and forests affected by relatively frequent natural [lightning caused] fires [likely augmented by native Americans], now reduced to less than a tenth of its former abundance by a variety of forces, including turpentining, timbering, free-range hogs, fire suppression, and "site conversion" by foresters to other trees, now extremely rare in VA and north of the Neuse River in NC, still occurring in some abundance in the outer CP from Carteret County, NC south into GA, in the Bladen Lakes area of Bladen and Cumberland counties, and in the Sandhills of Harnett, Hoke, Scotland, Richmond, Moore, Anson, and Montgomery counties, NC and south into GA; Pd, CP; Fl: Mar-Apr, Fr: Sep-Oct)

2. Bracts and bud scales entire or edged with hairs, but not fimbriate; sheath < 1.5 cm long; needles (2-) 3-30 cm long, in bundles of 2-4; twigs < 1 cm in diameter...3.

3. Needles in bundles of 3, or 2 and 3, or 3 and 4 (predominantly or at least substantially in 3s)...4.

4. Needles in bundles of 2 and 3...5.

5. Needles 3-7 cm long; prickles on cones 3-8 mm long, stout (> 1 mm wide at base of prickle)...P. pungens (Table mountain pine)

Bark of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus pungens (Photo: A. Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Needles of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus pungens (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus pungens (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus pungens

U.S. distribution of Pinus pungens

Pinus pungens (Table mountain pine)
(Common [rare in Pd]; dry ridges, cliffs, shale barrens, usually requiring fire for its reproduction, occurring at least up to 1550 m; Mt, Pd; Fl: May, Fr: Sep-Oct)

5. Needles 5-30 cm long; prickles on cones 1-3 mm long, slender (< 1 mm wide at base of prickle)...6.

6. Needles 5-12 cm long; cones 4-7 cm long...P. echinata (Shortleaf pine)

Bark of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus echinata (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles [center-left: in bundle of 3; center bottom: in bundle of 2] of Pinus echinata (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cone of Pinus echinata (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Female cones of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cones of Pinus echinata (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus echinata (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus echinata

U.S. distribution of Pinus echinata

Pinus echinata (Shortleaf pine)
(Common; dry rocky ridges and slopes, sandhills, old fields, forests, generally in rather xeric sites, but also occurring in mesic to even wet sites; common; Mt, Pd, CP; Fl: Mar-Apr, Fr: Sep-Oct)

6. Needles 17-30 cm long; cones (6) 12-15 cm long...*P. elliottii (Slash pine)

Bark of Pinus elliottii (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus elliottii (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Needles of Pinus elliottii (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus elliottii (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus elliottii (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus elliottii (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus elliottii (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus elliottii

U.S. distribution of Pinus elliottii

*Pinus elliottii (Slash pine)
(Common; extensively planted in silvicultural plantations on a wide variety of soils, many of them unsuitable for its successful growth; CP; Fl: Jan-Feb, Fr: Oct-Nov)

4. Needles in bundles of 3 (rarely with a few 2s), or 3 and 4....7.

7. Cones distinctly longer than broad when open or closed, 5-13 cm long; needles mostly (10-) 12-23 (-28) cm long, 0.7-1.5 mm wide; buds not resinous (or only slightly so); trunks not producing adventitious sprouts (epicormic sprouting)...P. taeda (Loblolly pine)

Bark of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus taeda (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus taeda (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cone of Pinus taeda (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Cone of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus taeda (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus taeda (coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Pinus taeda

U.S. distribution of Pinus taeda

Pinus taeda (Loblolly pine)
(Common; forests, fields, pine plantations; common, much more abundant and widespread than formerly, occurring further west than as a native; Pd, CP; Fl: Mar-Apr, Fr: Oct-Nov)

7. Cones about as broad as long, 3-6 cm long; needles (4-) 7-16 (-20) cm long, 1.5-2.0 mm wide; buds resinous; trunks commonly producing adventitious sprouts (epicormic sprouting), especially in response to fire...8.

8. Needles (4-) 7-10 (-15) cm long, persisting only 2 years; cones opening at maturity, not serotinous; [trees of ridges, slopes, bottomlands, and bogs of the Mountains and Piedmont]...P. rigida (Pitch pine)

Bark of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus rigida (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus rigida (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Needles of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cone of Pinus rigida (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Cone of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus rigida (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus rigida (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus rigida

U.S. distribution of Pinus rigida

Pinus rigida (Pitch pine)
(Uncommon [rare in Pd]; 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] and also scattered through a variety of forest types; Mt, Pd; Fl: May, Fr: Sep-Oct)

8. Needles (10-) 16-20 (-21) cm long, persisting 3-4 years; cones serotinous; [trees of pocosins, savannas, and other wetlands of the Coastal Plain]...P. serotina (Pond pine)

Bark of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus serotina (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Needles of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus serotina (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus serotina (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus serotina

U.S. distribution of Pinus serotina

Pinus serotina (Pond pine)
(Common [rare in Pd]; peaty soils of pocosins, swamps of small blackwater streams; Pd, CP; Fl: Apr, Fr: Aug)

3. Needles in bundles of 2 only...9.

9. Needles stout, 1.3-2 mm wide; needles 7-16 cm long; cones 4-6 cm long, each scale bearing a small depressed mucro; [introduced tree, usually planted only on Coastal Plain barrier islands]...*P. thunbergiana (Black pine)

Bark of Pinus thunbergiana (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Twig of Pinus thunbergiana (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Leaves of Pinus thunbergiana (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Female cone of Pinus thunbergiana (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Seeds of Pinus thunbergiana (coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Pinus thunbergiana (coming soon)

*Pinus thunbergiana (Black pine)
(Uncommon [native of Japan]; planted and persisting, sometimes appearing native, on barrier islands; CP)

9. Needles slender to somewhat stout, 0.5-1.2 mm wide...10.

10. Needles 15-25 cm long; [trees naturalized on barrier islands]...*P. pinaster (Maritime pine)

Bark of Pinus pinaster (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Twig of Pinus pinaster (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Leaves of Pinus pinaster (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Female cone of Pinus pinaster (Photo: Krings, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Seeds of Pinus pinaster (coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Pinus pinaster (coming soon)

U.S. distribution of Pinus pinaster

*Pinus pinaster (Maritime pine)
(Rare; planted and naturalized on barrier islands; CP)

10. Needles 2-17 cm long; [trees generally elsewhere]....11.

11. Needles 10-17 cm long; branches brittle; spring shoots with a single node, with 1 whorl of branches; [trees of the north, sometimes planted in our Mountains]...P. resinosa (Red pine)

Bark of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

Twigs of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

Leaves of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

Cones of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

Seeds of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

N.C. distribution of Pinus resinosa (coming soon)

Distribution of Pinus resinosa

Pinus resinosa (Red pine)
(Rare; in pine plantations, and persisting after silvicultural planting; Mt)

11. Needles 2-13 cm long; branches flexible; spring shoots usually with several nodes (several whorls of branches); [trees of various habitats]...12.

12. Needles 5-13 cm long, twisted or not; cones opening at maturity or serotinous, the scales bearing prominent, short, stout prickles or minute, deciduous prickles, and also with a faint to conspicuous horizontal ridge; [non-native (in our immediate area) trees of Coastal Plain xeric sands]...*P. clausa (Sand pine)

Bark of Pinus clausa (coming soon)

Twigs of Pinus clausa (coming soon)

Leaves of Pinus clausa (coming soon)

Cones of Pinus clausa (coming soon)

Seeds of Pinus clausa (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus clausa

Distribution of Pinus clausa

*Pinus clausa (Sand pine)
(Rare; widely planted in pulp plantations in FL and s. GA, experimentally planted as far north as NC; CP)

12. Needles 2-8 cm long, generally twisted; cones opening at maturity, not serotinous, the scales bearing
prominent, slender prickles 2-5 mm long; [dry forests and woodlands, throughout]...P. virginiana (Virginia pine)

Bark of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Bark of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Twig of Pinus virginiana (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus virginiana (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Needles of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Female cone of Pinus virginiana (Photo: S.J. Baskauf, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Bioimages)

Cones of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cones of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Cone of Pinus virginiana (Copyright W. Cook)

Seeds of Pinus virginiana (Photo: S. Hurst)

N.C. distribution of Pinus virginiana

U.S. distribution of Pinus virginiana

Pinus virginiana (Virginia pine)
(Common [rare in CP]; dry forests and woodlands, especially on slopes and ridges, also common in certain areas as a weedy successional tree on nearly any kind of site; Mt, Pd, CP; Fl: Mar-May, Fr: Sep-Nov)