Pinus echinata
There are only a dozen native pine species in North Carolina but I still struggle with identifying pines as I drive around the state. Part of the problem is that the needles are often well out of reach such that counting needles per bundle and getting an exact read on needle length is difficult. Tree shape can help.
There are 2 pines around Charlotte with short needles, usually in pairs. They are Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) and these short-leafed pines. If you look at the needles of Virginia pine, you will invariably see the pair of needles in a bundle twisted, not straight. Often you can use the appearance of the bark to separate these 2 species. Pinus echinata has much larger plates on the bark. Plates are not deeply furrowed on either species.
The 2 mature short-leafed pines in this photograph have an open crown with distinctively contorted branches.
The cones of both species are perhaps 3" long and about twice as long as wide. Virginia pine cones tend to be a tad smaller, but you could often fool me.
There are some efforts to replace loblolly pine in the North Caroina Piedmont, the dominant species grown for timber in our area, with these native short-leaf pine.
Pinus echinata
There are only a dozen native pine species in North Carolina but I still struggle with identifying pines as I drive around the state. Part of the problem is that the needles are often well out of reach such that counting needles per bundle and getting an exact read on needle length is difficult. Tree shape can help.
There are 2 pines around Charlotte with short needles, usually in pairs. They are Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) and these short-leafed pines. If you look at the needles of Virginia pine, you will invariably see the pair of needles in a bundle twisted, not straight. Often you can use the appearance of the bark to separate these 2 species. Pinus echinata has much larger plates on the bark. Plates are not deeply furrowed on either species.
The 2 mature short-leafed pines in this photograph have an open crown with distinctively contorted branches.
The cones of both species are perhaps 3" long and about twice as long as wide. Virginia pine cones tend to be a tad smaller, but you could often fool me.
There are some efforts to replace loblolly pine in the North Caroina Piedmont, the dominant species grown for timber in our area, with these native short-leaf pine.