Shortleaf Pine
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| Shortleaf Pine Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||||
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 Shortleaf Pine forest | ||||||||||||||||
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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 leaves are needle-like, in bundles of two and three mixed together, and from 7-11 cm long. The cones are 4-7 cm long, with thin scales with a transverse keel and a short prickle.
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.