416 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERiE 



Pinus mitis, Michaux. 

 Short-leaf Pine. 



Pinus echinata, Miller ; P. Ta^da, var. echinata, Castiglioni ; P. varia- 

 bilis, var. echinata, Du Roi. Bull Pine ; Carolina Pine ; North Caro- 

 lina Pine ; North Carolina Yellow Pine ; Oldfield Pine ; Pitch Pine ; 

 Poor Pine ; Short-leaf Yellow Pine ; Shortschat Pine ; Slash Pine ; 

 Spruce Pine ; Yellow Pine. 



A tree 80-100 or occasionally 120 ft. high, with a trunk 4-6 

 ft. in girth, and slender, often pendent branches. Bark |-1 in, 

 thick, reddish, divided into irregularly shaped plates. Young 

 shoots pale green flushed with violet and usually coated with a 

 glaucous bloom ; changing to brown. Winter buds ovate, short- 

 pointed, about I in. long, with closely pressed, resinous scales. 

 Leaves usually in pairs, occasionally in threes or fours, lasting 

 2-5 years, slender, flexible, sUghtly twisted, 3-5 in. long, margins 

 evenly and finely toothed, apex with a short, horny point, stomata 

 on each surface, resin canals median, basal sheath barely J in. 

 long. Cones, l|-2 in. long, usually clustered, ovate, without or 

 with very short stalks, remaining on the tree after shedding the 

 seeds ; scales thin, flattish below, rounded above, the exposed 

 part slightly thickened, transversely keeled, ending in a fine, 

 short prickle which is often deciduous before the cones ripen. 

 Seeds triangular, iV; in. long, | in. wide, slightly mottled, wing 

 reddish, | in. long. 



Distinguished from other yellow pines of the E. United States 

 by its short leaves, and from P. T(eda by its leaves being usually 

 in pairs. 



The short-leaf pine is widely distributed from S.E, New York, 

 to N. Florida, and W. Virginia, and through the Gulf States to 

 E, Louisiana, E, Texas, S, Missouri, and S,W, Illinois, covering 

 thousands of square miles. 



Wood coarse-grained, heavy, strong, and moderately resinous, 

 with well- developed resin-ducts. It closely resembles that of 

 P. palustris, P. carihcea, and P. Tceda, and whilst inferior to the 

 two former in strength, it is stronger than the latter. The heart- 

 wood is orange or yellowish brown, the rather wide sapwood 

 being creamy yellow. Kiln-dried wood averages about 32 lb. 

 per cubic ft. The timber is of great importance, and owing to its 

 less resinous and easier working characters is superior to pitch 

 pine for some purposes. It is used for the fighter kinds of building 

 work, indoor finish of houses, panelling, car-building, furniture, 

 railway sleepers, and all the other purposes for which good pine- 

 wood can be utilized. Large quantities of timber are available 

 for exploitation. 



P. mitis succeeds in its native country on light gravelly soils, 

 sand, gravelly clay, and loam. The ground must, however, be well 



