SAND PINE; SPRUCE PINE (Pinus clausa, Sarg.). 15 to 

 20 feet; rarely to 80 feet. Flat-topped, bushy tree clothed 

 to the ground with slender branches. Bark red, scaly, on 

 branches ashy gray. Wood pale orange, light, brittle, soft, 

 used for masts of boats. Leaves dark green, 2 to 3^ inches 

 long, 2 in each sheath, shed during third and fourth years. 

 Flowers staminate, crowded spikes, orange color; pistillate in 

 lateral clusters. Fruits reflexed, 2 to 3| inches long, reddish 

 brown, set with prickles, often remaining closed for years 

 after maturity, and turning gray. The growing branches 

 engulf these in the wood. Dist.: Mexican Gulf coast from 

 Alabama to Florida; east coast of Florida, in a narrow strip, 

 on sandy, low plain. 





