Pitch Pine

Pitch Pine

Taxobox
name = Pitch Pine
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3


image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Pinophyta
classis = Pinopsida
ordo = Pinales
familia = Pinaceae
genus = "Pinus"
subgenus = "Pinus"
species = "P. rigida"
binomial = "Pinus rigida"
binomial_authority = Mill.

The Pitch Pine ("Pinus rigida") is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 m) tree, often contorted due to fire or weather. This pine occasionally hybridizes with other pine species such as Loblolly Pine ("P. taeda"), Shortleaf Pine ("P. echinata"), and Pond Pine ("P. serotina"); the last is treated as a subspecies of Pitch Pine by some botanists.

The Pitch Pine is found mainly in the northeastern United States, from Maine and Ohio to Kentucky and northern Georgia. A few stands occur in southern Quebec and Ontario. This pine occupies a variety of habitats from dry, acidic sandy uplands to swampy lowlands, and can survive in very poor conditions; it is the primary tree of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

The needles are in fascicles of three, about 6-13 cm in length, and are stout (over 1 mm broad) and often slightly twisted. The cones are 4-7 cm long and oval with prickles on the scales. The species is unusual in often having shoots (called epicormic sprouts) that can grow directly from the trunk. This is an adaptation to fire, enabling trees to re-sprout after fire has killed the crown; the thick bark protects the trunk from damage unless the fire is very severe. Burnt trees often form stunted, twisted trees with multiple trunks as a result of the resprouting. This characteristic also makes it a popular species for bonsai.

The Pitch Pine is not a major timber tree, due to the frequency of multiple or crooked trunks; nor is it as fast-growing as other eastern American pines. However it grows well on unfavourable sites. In the past, it was a major source of pitch and timber for ship building, mine timbers, and railroad ties, because the wood's high resin content preserves it from decay. The wood of Pitch Pine was also used for building radio towers in Germany as at Muehlacker and at Ismaning. Nowadays Pitch Pine is used mainly for rough construction, pulp, crating, and fuel.

References

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pitch pine — Pitch Pitch, n. [OE. pich, AS. pic, L. pix; akin to Gr. ?.] 1. A thick, black, lustrous, and sticky substance obtained by boiling down tar. It is used in calking the seams of ships; also in coating rope, canvas, wood, ironwork, etc., to preserve… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pitch pine — pitch ,pine noun 1. ) count a type of North American PINE tree that produces TURPENTINE 2. ) uncount the wood of a pitch pine …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • pitch pine — ☆ pitch pine n. any of several resinous pines yielding pitch or turpentine, esp. a pine (Pinus rigida) of the E U.S …   English World dictionary

  • Pitch pine — (engl., spr. pittsch pein), die amerik. Pechkiefer. Holz rötlichgelb, sehr gutes Bauholz. Gelbes P. ist das Holz von Pinus ponderosa Dougl. (s. Yellow pine) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • pitch pine — n [U and C] a type of ↑pine tree that grows in North America, or the wood from this tree …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • pitch pine — pitch′ pine n. any of several pines from which pitch or turpentine is obtained • Etymology: 1670–80, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • Pitch-pine — (engl., spr. pitsch pain, »Pechkiefer«), amerikanisches Bauholz, stammt von der Besenkiefer (Pinus australis), s. Kiefer, S. 884 …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Pitch pine — Pitch pine, s. Nutzhölzer, Bd. 6, S. 688 …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • pitch pine — UK / US noun Word forms pitch pine : singular pitch pine plural pitch pines 1) [countable] a type of North American pine tree that produces turpentine 2) [uncountable] the wood of a pitch pine …   English dictionary

  • pitch pine — pelkinė pušis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Pušinių šeimos medieninis, prieskoninis, vaistinis augalas (Pinus palustris), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. Iš jo gaminami maisto priedai (kvėpikliai), gaunama derva. atitikmenys: lot. Pinus… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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