Fifty Common Trees of New York 



11 



2. PITCH PINE 



Hard Pine, Yellow Pine 



(Pinns rigida Miller) 



Pitch pine is to be found on dry ridges and slopes, in the northeastern 

 section of the State and on Long Island, and infrequently elsewhere. 

 The wood is coarse-grained and brownish red in color. The tree never 

 reaches a large size and the lumber is generally knotty. Its chief uses 

 are for rough framing lum- 

 ber, ties, and mine props. 



Bark — early becomes very 

 rough and is of a reddish 

 brown to a very dark brown 

 color, with age becoming 

 deeply furrowed into broad 

 flat-topped ridges separating 

 on the surface into loose, 

 dark reddish brown scales. 

 The unusual thickness of 

 the bark makes it the most 

 fire-resistant tree in the 

 State. Clusters of needles 

 are very commonly found on 

 the main trunk. 



Twigs — coarse, brittle, of 

 a golden-brown color. 



Winter buds — conspicu- 

 ous, pointed, reddish brown 

 in color, resin-coated. 



Leaves — needle-like, in clusters of 3, from 3 to 5 inches long, yellowish 

 green in color, very stiff, staying on twigs from two to three years. 



Fruit — a cone, from 2 to 3 inches long, somewhat egg-shaped, without 

 stem, requiring two years to mature ; persists on tree for many years. 

 Cone scales — each carries a stiff recurved prickle. Seeds — 2 under each 

 scale, dark brown in color. 



PITCH PINE 



Cone and needles, natural size 



