Pinus glabra

"Spruce pine" redirects here. It may also refer to the sand pine; for other uses, see Spruce Pine (disambiguation).

Pinus glabra, the spruce pine, is a tree found on the coastal plains of the southern United States, from southern South Carolina south to northern Florida and west to southern Louisiana.

Spruce pine
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Pinaceae
Genus:	Pinus
Subgenus:	P. subg. Pinus
Section:	P. sect. Trifoliae
Subsection:	P. subsect. Australes
Species:	P. glabra
Binomial name
Pinus glabra Walter
Natural range of Pinus glabra

Description

This pine is a straight-growing, medium-sized species, attaining heights of 20 to 40 metres (66 to 131 ft). The leaves are needle-like, in bundles of two, 5-to-8-centimetre-long (2.0 to 3.1 in), slender (1-millimetre-thick (0.039 in)), and glossy dark green. The small, slender cones are 4-to-6-centimetre-long (1.6 to 2.4 in), with weak prickles on the scales that are soon shed.^[2]

Ecology

Pinus glabra differs markedly from most other pines in that it does not occur in largely pure pine forests, but is typically found as scattered trees in moist woodland habitats in mixed hardwood forest. To be able to compete successfully in such habitats, it has adapted to greater shade tolerance than most other pines.^[3]

Gallery

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  Pinus glabra foliage and cone
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  Bark of mature Pinus glabra
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  Crown of mature Pinus glabra