Kingdom Plantae Class Pinopsida Family Pinaceae Scientific name Pinus serotina | Division Pinophyta Order Pinales Genus Pinus Rank Species | |
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Similar Pinus glabra, Pinus clausa, Table mountain pine, Pinus echinata, Pinus virginiana | ||
Pinus serotina, the pond pine, marsh pine or pocosin pine, is a tree found along the Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. This pine often has a crooked growth pattern and an irregular top and grows up to 21 metres (69 ft) high, rarely to 29 metres (95 ft).
The needles are in bundles of three or four, and 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long. The almost round cones are 5–8 cm (2–3 1⁄4 in) long with small prickles on the scales. Its cones are usually serotinous, requiring fire to open. The pond pine is found in wet habitats near ponds, bays, swamps, and pocosins.
The species name serotina is derived from the persistently unopened cones that may remain closed for several years before they release their seeds; the opening is often in response to forest fires.
At the north end of its range, it intergrades and hybridises with pitch pine (P. rigida); it is distinguished from that species by the longer needles and on average slightly larger cones. Some botanists treat pond pine as a subspecies of pitch pine.
