Slash Pine
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 Slash Pine plantation | ||||||||||||||||
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The Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) is a pine native to the southeast United States, from southern South Carolina west to southeastern Louisiana, and south to the Florida Keys. It is fast-growing, but not very long-lived by pine standards (to 200 years), and prefers humid climates and moist soil.
This tree reaches heights of 18-30 m (60-100 ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.6-0.8 m (2-3 ft). The leaves are needle-like, very slender, in clusters of two or three, and are 18-24 cm (7-9 in) long. The cones are glossy red-brown, 5-15 cm in length with a short (2-3 mm), thick prickle on each scale.
It can be distinguished from the related Loblolly Pine by the somewhat longer, glossier needles, and larger red-brown cones, and from Longleaf Pine by the shorter, slenderer needles and smaller cones with less broad scales.
There are two varieties:
- P. elliottii var. elliotti (typical Slash Pine). South Carolina to Louisiana, south to central Florida. Leaves in bundles (fascicles) of twos and threes, mostly threes. Cones larger, 7-15 cm.
- P. elliotti var. densa (South Florida Slash Pine). Southern Florida. Leaves nearly all in bundles of two. Cones smaller, 5-12 cm.
Unlike the typical variety of Slash Pine, seedlings of P. elliotti var. densa pass through a "grass stage", in a manner similar to Longleaf Pine.
The Slash Pine is also known as the Yellow Slash Pine, Swamp Pine, and Pitch Pine, though it should not be confused with the tree more usually called the Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida.
This tree is widely grown in plantations, and is also used in horticulture.