Pitch Pine

Description

Tree reaching 25m, with irregular, rounded, open crown; bole often with adventitious shoots; bark darkgray or red-brown, deeply furrowed, scales plate-like; branches level, shoots pale green, orange-brown when mature, glabrous, grooved; buds resinous, brown, cylindric to ovoid-oblong, to 1.5cm, apex sharplypointed. Needles 3 per fascicle, yellow to pale green, stout, twisted, becoming dark gray-green, 7-10 X 2-2.5mm, occasionally to 14 cm, falling after three years, stomatal lines visible on both sides;sheaths rust-brown, to 13mm, persistent. Cones lateral, in groups of 1-4, rarely to 30, sessile orpeduncle to 7mm, ovoid-conic, 4-7 X 3-4cm, symmetric, pale brown, opening X5-6cm when mature, persistent, apophysis flat to convex, umbo flat or raised, thorn slender, sharp, 1-4mm, persistent, seeds triangular, gray, about 5mm, wings brown, about 1.5cm.