- Slash Pine
Taxobox
name = Slash Pine
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3
image_width = 240px
image_caption = Slash Pine plantation
regnum =Plant ae
divisio =Pinophyta
classis = Pinopsida
ordo =Pinales
familia =Pinaceae
genus = "Pinus"
subgenus = "Pinus"
species = "P. elliottii"
binomial = "Pinus elliottii"
binomial_authority = Engelm.The Slash Pine ("Pinus elliottii") is a
pine native to the southeastUnited States , from southernSouth Carolina west to southeasternLouisiana , and south to theFlorida Keys. It is fast-growing, but not very long-lived by pine standards (to 200 years), and prefers humid climates and moist soil. Slash Pine is named after the "slashes" – swampy ground overgrown with trees and bushes – that constitute its habitat.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 fromLongleaf 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, including theEverglades . 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
plantation s, and is also used inhorticulture .References
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