Trees of New York Stale 85 



PINACEAE 



Pinus echinata ^lill. [Finns mitis Michx.] 



Short-leaved Pine, Yellow Pine 



Habit — A tree at maturity attaining a height of 80-100 feet, occasionally 

 120 feet, with a trunk diameter of 3-4 feet. Crown broad, pyramidal, 

 truncate, consisting of slender, somewhat pendulous, very brittle branches. 

 Trunk long, clean, somewliat tapering. 



Leaves — Borne in fascicles of 2-3 (rarely 4), needle-shaped, closely ser- 

 rulate, abruptly pointed, soft and flexible, dark bluish green, 3-5 inches 

 long, persisting from two to five years. 



Flowers — • Appearing in April, and May, monoecious, borne in cones, 

 Staminate cones clustered at the base of the growth of the season, nearly 

 sessile, about % of an inch long, oblong-cylimlrical, pale purple at 

 maturity. Ovulate cones usually in pairs or clusters of three or four, 

 rarely solitary, subterniinal on the growth of the season, oblong to sub- 

 globose, about % of an in<di long, on stout ascending stalks, pale rose- 

 colored at pollination. 



Fruit — -An ovate or oblong-conical, chestnut-brown cone, IY2-2 inches long, 

 subsessile, horizontal or pendant, attaining full size and maturity during 

 the second autumn. Opened cones persist on the branches for several 

 years. Cone-scales vnth slightly thickened ends, ecjuipped with weak, 

 usually deciduous prickles. 



Winter characters — Branchlets stout, brittle, somewhat rough, at first pale 

 green or violet, glaucous, later dark reddish brown and scaly. Buds 

 Vs-Vi of an inch long, ovate, obtuse, with ovate-lanceolate, closely imbri- 

 cated, chestnut-brown scales Avhich are divided above the middle into 

 matted filaments. Mature bark dark brown tinged with red, divided by 

 fissures into irregular, scaly, angular plates. 



Habitat — Occurs on a wide range of sites on plains, foothills, and table- 

 lands. Tlu-ives on poor clayey and sandy soils. Grows in pure stands 

 or intermixed with hardwoods, generally the latter in the east. 



Range — Staten Island, New York, Pennsylvania, south to Georgia, and west 

 to Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Zone A. 



Uses — An important timber species, ranking second in importance among 

 the Southern Yellow Pines. Wood heavy, heard, strong, resinous, coarse- 

 grained, variable in quality, orange or yellowish brown in color ■wdth pale 

 white sapwood. Largely manufactured into lumber for a variety of pur- 

 poses. Within its natural range valuable in reforestation because of the 

 ease of self-generation. 



