Leaves: Needlelike and variable with fascicles of two and three needles, 8" to 10 inches long, stiff and dark blue-green in color. The cones are brown and oblong 3" to 6" long with sharp prickles at the ends of the scales. Larger and not as stiff and prickly as Loblolly Pine, but smaller and more prickly than the Longleaf Pine.

LOCATION

Owner: Mary Anne Hodgson
Nominated by: Jimmy Mock
Accessible: Yes, Old Jefferson Rd. 1/3 mile south of Walton Creek Rd. and 80'N. of Champion White Oak (Q. alba)
Coordinates: State Plane
GA West NAD83 (feet)
E: 2,517,284 N: 1,454,820


Notes: Much like the Longleaf Pine (P. palustris) the Slash Pine is an occasional in the Georgia Piedmont, but unlike Longleaf, its constraint is climatic. Being very brittle, Slash Pine cannot withstand conditions of ice and snow,. The primary range of the species is in the middle and lower coastal plain "flatwoods" of southeast Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and west to E. Texas. The species is highly regarded as a primary source of naval stores, lumber, plywood, utility poles and pulpwood. It is a handsome tree sometimes reaching 80' to 100' in height, with a symmetrical crown. If sheltered from ice and snow, it can do well in the Georgia Piedmont.

Bark: Purple to red-brown at maturity forming large irregular blocks with scaly flaking plates similar to shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata).

« For massive amounts of data on this tree. »