Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1320 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
PINUS PALUSTRIS Mill. LONGLEAF PINE
(PINACEAE, PINE FAMILY)
Other Common Names: FLORIDA PINE, LONGLEAF YELLOW PINE, SOUTHERN PINE, SOUTHERN YELLOW PINE, LONGSTRAW PINE,
HILL PINE, PITCH PINE, HARD PINE, HEART PINE, SWAMP PINE
Form and Size: large tree to 47 m; trunk to 1.2+ m in diameter (e.g., a 61 inch diameter log was reported from Jasper Co.—
see pages 81 and 82 in the introduction to this volume); crown open and irregular.
Leaves: needles 3 per bundle, (20–)25–45 cm long, lustrous yellow-green; bundle sheath 2–2.5(–3) cm long.
Buds: terminal buds 3–4 cm long, ovoid, silvery white.
Seed Cones: solitary or paired toward branchlet tips, 12–25 cm long, dull brown, usually sessile, the scales with a short
reflexed prickle, with apophysis (= exposed, thickened, apical portion of each seed cone scale) dull, maturing in 2 years.
Pollen Cones: cylindrical, 30–80 mm long at time of pollen release, purplish.
Bark: orange-brown, relatively thin, with coarse, rectangular scaly plates; on small trunks, gray and rough.
Wood: sapwood nearly white to yellowish, orange-white, or pale yellow, thin to very thick; heartwood distinct, red-brown,
heavy, hard, strong, resinous, with grain coarse and generally straight but uneven, with distinct growth rings, with a
resinous odor.
Habitat: dry sandy uplands (e.g., Longleaf pine uplands), sandhills, and flatwoods (e.g., Pine savannah wetlands).
Range: southern part of the Pineywoods; Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains from VA south to FL west to TX.
Principal Uses: a strong and durable wood with many uses, including poles, posts, structural beams, construction lumber,
flooring, masts, and pulp.
Historical Uses: formerly the world’s leading producer of turpentine, rosin, and tar (naval stores—so named because the
resinous products were used in the past for waterproofing wooden sailing ships), obtained by tapping the trees for the
oleoresin. Alabama-Coushatta Indians used the long needles to weave coil baskets and bowls.
Other Significant Information: recurrent low-intensity fire is critical for the maintenance of forests dominated by this
deep-rooted, thick-barked, fire-tolerant species; it is shade intolerant, and unless there are periodic fires, hardwoods invade
and shade the pine seedlings out. Even very young individuals can withstand fire. They pass through a “grass”
stage lasting 3–25 years—called this because of the resemblance to a densely tufted perennial bunchgrass. During this
stage, the taproot develops rapidly, the unbranched stem grows in diameter rather than height, and a thick tuft of
needle-like leaves protects the meristem, located near ground level, from fire. At the end of the grass stage, the plant
grows rapidly (several feet per year) until the meristem is above the typical scorch height of low-intensity fires.
LONGLEAF PINES are also quite resistant to attack by bark beetles. The occurrence of LONGLEAF PINE has been greatly
reduced by deforestation and modern forestry practices favoring LOBLOLLY PINE. In presettlement times, this species
grew in extensive pure stands throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. However, few or possibly no old-growth
stands of LONGLEAF PINE currently exist in Texas, because of extensive harvesting and poor management in the past.
Though much less common than previously, P. palustris is still a valuable timber species. LONGLEAF PINE forests, if periodically
burned, have a rich understory of grasses and forbs and provide valuable habitat for numerous animals and
plants. This species could be confused with P. elliottii Englem. (SLASH PINE); however, P. elliottii can be distinguished by
the following characters: needles 2–3 per bundle, at least some 2, 15–20(–23) cm long, usually dark green and glossy;
terminal bud silvery brown, 1.5–2 mm long; apophysis lustrous as if varnished.
Recognition in the Field: needles 3 per bundle, (20–)25–45 cm long, lustrous yellow-green; terminal bud silvery white, 3–4
cm long; apophysis dull.