The Trees of Vermont 29 



PINACEAE 



Pitch Pine 

 Pinus rigida Mill. 



Habit. — A small tree 40-60 feet high, with a short, crooked trunk 

 1-2 feet in diameter; coarse, gnarled branches form an irregular, open, 

 pyramidal or rounded crown ; a decidedly scraggly tree. 



Leaves. — In clusters of three; 2-5 inches long; stout, stiff, taper- 

 ing to a thick tip ; more or less twisted, divergent from a short sheath ; 

 bright yellow-green. Persistent 2-3 years. 



Flowers. — May-June ; monoecious ; the staminate in short, 

 crowded, cylindrical spikes about % inch long, yellowish ; the pistillate 

 lateral, subglobose, short-stalked, more or less clustered, reddish-green, 

 about ys inch long. 



Fruit. — Autumn of second season, opening soon after, but per- 

 sistent on the tree for 10-12 years ; lateral, at about a right angle to the 

 branch, either solitary or in whorls of several; ovoid to nearly globOsc, 

 nearly sessile cones 1-3 inches long; scales thickened at the apex and 

 armed with a stiff', recurved prickle; seeds triangular, dark brown, % 

 inch long, with wings about ^ inch long. 



Winter-buds. — Cylindrical to ovoid, sharp-pointed, dark red- 

 brown, about 3^ inch long. 



Bark. — Twigs smooth, light green, becoming yellow, finally dark 

 gray-brown and rough with the persistent bases of fallen leaves ; thin, 

 red-brown on the trunk, with broad, flat ridges and deepish furrows. 

 Plate I. 



Wood. — Light, soft, weak, brittle, coarse-grained, very durable, 

 light brown or red, with thick, yellowish to whitish sapwood. 



Distribution. — Common in the northern portion of the Cham- 

 plain Valley, especially along the lower courses of the Winooski, La- 

 moille and Missisquoi Rivers ; less common in the Connecticut Valley 

 as far north as Wells River. 



Habitat. — Barren, sandy soil. 



Notes. — This tree is a prolific seeder. It is able to sprout from 

 the stump and is fire-resistant. In suitable places it forms dense 

 groves of small trees, forty to sixty feet in height. The individual 

 trees sometimes are picturesque but neither graceful nor very attractive 

 in appearance. The branches even of the smaller trees mature numer- 

 ous cones, which are long persistent. They are about two inches long, 

 and, as has been said, they have scales tipped with sharp recurved 

 prickles, a character which may aid in its recognition. 



