Contains 7 accepted taxa overall.
Characteristics
Pines are immensely important for innumerable species of wildlife, and in many habitats pines are the dominant tree, especially in pyrogenic communities. Human uses include its pine bark (Duryea 2000), pine straw (Duryea 2000; Minogue et al. 2007), oleoresin (naval stores; Grissino-Mayer et al. 2001), and timber (Hall & Maxwell 1911). Oleoresin is rich in terpenes and can be separated into turpentine (volatile) and rosin. Oleoresin was historically tapped from living trees, but often now turpentine, rosins, and other products are refined from the processing of pulp or stumps (Gamble 1921; Howard & Westby 2013; Susaeta et al. 2014). The applications of pine terpenes are very diverse (Zinkel 1981; Rodrigues-Corrêa et al. 2012).
Classification
Citation
PINUS Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1000. 1753.
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TYPE: Pinus sylvestris Linnaeus Lectotypified by Britton & A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S., ed. 2. 1: 56. 1913.
Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Herbarium Specimens | Status | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinus clausa | SAND PINE | Native U (WAP) | ||
| Pinus echinata | SHORTLEAF PINE; YELLOW PINE | Native | ||
| Pinus elliottii | SLASH PINE | Native FACW (NWPL) AD (WAP) | ||
| Pinus glabra | SPRUCE PINE | Native FACW (NWPL) FACW (DEP) | ||
| Pinus palustris | LONGLEAF PINE | Native FACU (NWPL) U (WAP) | ||
| Pinus serotina | POND PINE | Native FACW (NWPL) FACW (DEP) | ||
| Pinus taeda | LOBLOLLY PINE | Native FAC (NWPL) AD (WAP) |
Identification Key
1. Leaf sheath mostly 0.3-1 cm long; leaves usually in fascicles of 2; leaves mostly 5-11 cm long
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1. Leaf sheath mostly 1-2.5 cm long; leaves in fascicles of 2-3; leaves mostly 12-45 cm long
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2. Twigs roughened and cracking or flaky below leafy portion; bark plates often with evident dimple-like resin pockets
2. Twigs smoothish below leafy portion, not flaky; bark plates without dimple-like resin pockets
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3. Bark orangish to reddish brown and gray, on lower trunk coarsely fissured, the vertical fissures breaking up bark into rectangular plates, upper part of trunk and main branches platy; upper surface of female cone scale with dark red-brown, purple, or purple-gray border at the apex, sharply contrasting with the rest of the scale; female cone scale umbo usually with a strong prickle; of xeric habitats
3. Bark gray, on lower trunk finely fissured, the vertical fissures close-set breaking the bark into narrowly elongate sections, upper part of trunk and main branches generally smooth; upper surface of female cone scale with an inconspicuous light-colored band at the apex, not contrasting sharply with the rest of the scale; female cone scale umbo unarmed or with a weak prickle; mostly of mesic to hydric habitats
4. Bark generally gray to brownish gray, moderately adherent and somewhat flaky or chipping, vertical and horizontal furrows well defined and sunken; leaves mostly under 20 cm long; male cones yellowish to brownish; females cones 5-12 cm long, mostly gray
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4. Bark generally orangish to orange-brown and gray, moderately flaky (easily flaked by hand), furrows rather shallow and less defined; leaves 15-45 cm long; male cones purplish; females cones 9-25 cm long, usually brown when fresh, eventually weathering to gray
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5. Lower half of mature plant often with leafy, fertile branches or adventitious trunk shoots, or sometimes lacking branches; leaves drying slightly yellowish to light green; female cones variably serotinous, long-persistent, opened ones 0.8-1.5 times as long as wide; female cone scale umbo with short, weak prickle or none; adaxial surface of seed-cone scales with dark red-brown border distally
5. Lower half of mature plant usually without branches or adventitious trunk shoots; leaves drying olive, slightly grayish, to middle green; female cones not serotinous, not persistent, 1.5-2.3 times as long as wide; female cone scale umbo with a stout prickle; adaxial surface of seed-cone scales lacking dark border distally
6. Leafy stems mostly >12 mm thick, with the leaf fascicles in dense pom-pom-like tufts; terminal buds ovoid, silvery white, 3-4 cm long; fascicles of 3 leaves; leaves 20-45 cm long; female cones 15-25 cm, apophyses dull; seedlings with “grass-stage” (dense tuft of leaves near ground surface, delayed stem elongation for up to 10 years)
6. Leafy stems mostly <12.1 mm thick, with the leaf fascicles spicate and bottlebrush-like along the stem; terminal buds cylindric, silvery brown, 1.5-2 cm long; fascicles of 2-3 leaves; leaves mostly 15-20 cm long; mature female cones mostly 9-18 cm long, apophyses lustrous; seedlings lacking a “grass-stage” (stems usually apparent, although sometimes short and slow-growing, and sometimes with leaves near ground as well as distally)
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7. Seedlings with thick shortened stems and clustered buds; leaves almost all in fascicles of 2s, or in 2s and 3s; 3-9 resin canals per needle; leaf hypoderm (2)3-4(5) cells thick; opened female cones 8-13 cm long, usually with rounded bottom
7. Seedlings with slender stems and scattered buds; leaves in fascicles of 2s and 3s on same tree; 3-5 resin canals per needle; leaf hypoderm 2(3) cells thick; opened female cones 10-15 cm long, usually with flattened bottom
Genus Synonyms
| Synonym | Full Citation | Basionym | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apinus | Apinus Necker ex Rydberg, Bull. Torrey Not. Club 32: 597. 1905. | TYPE: Pinus cembra Linnaeus Lectotypified by Florin, Taxon 5: 189. 1956. | |
| Caryopitys | Caryopitys Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 29. 1903. | TYPE: Caryopitys edulis (Engelmann) Small (Pinus edulis Engelmann) | |
| Leucopitys | Leucopitys Nieuwland, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 69. 1913. | TYPE: = Strobus (Sweet ex Spach) Opiz 1854. | |
| Strobus | Strobus (Sweet ex Spach) Opiz, Lotos 4: 94. 1854. | BASIONYM: Pinus Linnaeus, sect. Strobus Sweet ex Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 11: 394. 1841. | TYPE: Strobus weymouthiana Opiz (Pinus strobus Linnaeus) |