Pinus muricata
Pinus palustris
Bishop pine
longleaf pine
dark gray, deeply furrowed, ridges long, scaly-plated.
orange-brown, with coarse, rectangular, scaly plates.
spreading-ascending, often contorted;
twigs stout to slender, orange-brown, aging darker brown, rough.
spreading-descending, upcurved at tips;
twigs stout (to 2cm thick), orange-brown, aging darker brown, rough.
ovoid-cylindric, dark brown, 1–2.5cm, resinous.
ovoid, silvery white, 3–4cm;
scales narrow, margins fringed.
2 per fascicle, spreading to upcurved, persisting 2–3 years, 8–15cm × (1.2–)1.5(–2)mm, slightly twisted, dark yellow-green, all surfaces with stomatal lines, margins strongly serrulate, apex abruptly conic-acute;
sheath to 1.5cm, base persistent.
(2)–3 per fascicle, spreading-recurved, persisting 2 years, 20–45cm × ca. 1.5mm, slightly twisted, lustrous yellow-green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex abruptly acute to acuminate;
sheath 2–2.5(–3)cm, base persistent.
ellipsoid, to 5mm, orange.
cylindric, 30–80mm, purplish.
cones maturing in 3 years, serotinous, long-persistent, mostly in whorls, mostly asymmetric, lanceoloid-ovoid before opening, curved-ovoid when open, 4–9cm, glossy bright to pale red-brown, sessile or on stalks to 1cm, mostly downcurved, scales with deep red-brown border distally on adaxial surface;
apophyses much thickened, the abaxial ones progressively more angulately dome-shaped toward base of cone;
umbo central, a stout-based, curved claw.
cones maturing in 2 years, quickly shedding seeds and falling, solitary or paired toward branchlet tips, symmetric, lanceoloid before opening, ovoid-cylindric when open, 15–25cm, dull brown, sessile (rarely short-stalked);
apophyses dull, slightly thickened, slightly raised, nearly rhombic, strongly cross-keeled;
umbo central, broadly triangular, with short, stiff, reflexed prickle.
=24.
=24.
Pinus muricata
Pinus palustris
The several varieties described for Pinus muricata reflect the high variability in leaf characters and in degree of elaboration of apophysis and umbo in this species. The extremes can sometimes occur together.
Of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Pinus palustris is fire successional, with a deep taproot and a definite grass stage. It is a valued species for lumber and pulpwood and was once important for naval stores (e.g., turpentine, pine oil, tar, pitch). It is fast disappearing over much of its natural range, partly through overharvesting but especially because of difficulties in adapting it to current plantation and management techniques.
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is the state tree of North Carolina.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
LA Plants
