74 



YELLOW PINE. 



Pinus echinata, Miller. 



FORM Attains height of 80-100 ft., occasionally 120 ft. and diameter of 2-8 ft., occasionally 

 4 ft. Crown shallow, wide, pyramidal or rounded. Trunk clean, tall, and slightly tapering. 

 Lateral branches relatively light, very brittle, intolerant of shade, and consequently drop off 

 very early producing the clean, tall, and stately trunk. See Figs. 11 and 34. 



BARK On young branches at first pale green and smooth, later reddish-brown and scaly. 

 On old trees dark brown tinged with cinnamon-red, often 1-1 inch thick, broken by distinct fis- 

 sures into Irregular, often rectangular plates which peel off very readily into numerous thin 

 filmy scales. See Fig. 47. 



TWIGS Stout, brittle, slightly rough, at first often covered with glaucous bloom, later be- 

 coming reddish-brown. 



BUDS Ovoid, dull-pointed, covered with sharp-pointed dark brown scales. 



LEAVES Usually in clusters of 2 sometimes 3 or even 4, slender, flexible, faintly toothed, 

 abruptly pointed, dark bluish-green, 3-5 inches long, surrounded by persistent sheath, and per- 

 sisting for 2-5 years. 



FLOWERS Appear in April or May. Staminate flowers clustered at base of new growth of 

 season, nearly sessile, pale purple. Pistillate flowers rarely solitary, but usually 2-4 in a whorl 

 just below end of new growth, borne on stout erect stems, and pale rose colored. 



FRUIT A cone maturing in 2 seasons. One year old cones short-stalked, oval, about 1/6-i 

 of an inch long. Mature cones short-stalked or sessile, conic when closed and ovoid when open, 

 li-2 inches long, often persisting for 2 or more years. Cone-scales have slightly enlarged ends 

 terminated by weak or deciduous prickles. Seeds small, triangular, 3/16 of an inch long, 

 J of an inch wide, pale brown mottled with black spots. 



WOOD Non-porous; resinous, hard, strong, with distinct spring and summer wood, yellow- 

 ish or dark brown. Weighs 38.04 Ibs. per cubic foot. It furnishes the most desirable of the 

 yellow pine lumber of commerce and is largely manufactured into lumber used for general 

 construction and carpentry. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The Yellow Pine, also known as Short-leaf Pine, 

 is rarely found in the northern part of Pennsylvania which will prevent confusing it with the 

 Red Pine native only to the northern part of the State. It can be distinguished from the other 

 species of Pine found growing with it in this State by its rather slender flexible leaves in 

 sheathed clusters of 2, sometimes 3 or 4, its conic cones with scales terminated by weak or 

 deciduous prickles, its brittle branchlets, and its clean, stately, slightly-tapering trunk, the 

 bark of which is marked off by deep furrows into irregular or rectangular plates which peel 

 off very readily into numerous thin film-like scales. 



RANGE Southeastern New York and northern Pennsylvania to Florida, westward to Illinois, 

 Kansas and southeastern Texas. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA This is essentially a southern species but extends into 

 Pennsylvania. It is usually mixed with hardwoods. Large specimens of it are found in the 

 Benjamin George tract (Fig. 11) near Mont Alto, Franklin county. It is also reported on 

 the Cook tract in Jefferson and Forest counties, and in Fulton, Lancaster, Perry, Lycoming, and 

 Union counties. 



HABITAT Common on poor, sandy, or clayey soil. It is a tree of the plains and foothills. 

 Reaches its optimum development on the uplands and undulating plains west of the Mississippi. 

 In the east it is usually mixed with hardwoods. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES Next to the Long-leaf Pine this species is the most im- 

 portant of the Southern Pines. It is destined to play a very important role in future forest 

 management in the regions where the conditions of growth are favorable, on account of its 

 economic and commercial value. This species, on account of the ease with which it regenerates 

 naturally, requires little assistance from the hands of the forester. It can be planted upon 

 favorable situations anywhere in Pennsylvania. 



