Young longleaf pine with its single upright stem, candle-like silvery buds, and long, shiny leaves form a handsome tree. In later youth the stalwart, sparingly-branched sapling, with heavy twigs and gray [bark], attracts immediate attention. Mature trees have tall, straight trunks, 1-3 feet in diameter and open irregular [crowns].
Longleaf pine grows in sandy soils from Orange County, north to Sabine County and west to Trinity County. A [hybrid] cross between longleaf and loblolly pine is often found in this range and is known as Sonderegger pine.
LONGLEAF PINE ([Fruit] and leaves, one-third natural size)
The needle-like LEAVES are grey-green, from 10 to 15 inches long, in clusters of three, and gathered toward the ends of the thick, scaly, twigs. The “FLOWERS”, appearing in early spring before the new leaves, are a deep rose-purple, the male in prominent, short, dense clusters and the female in inconspicuous groups of two to four. Unlike other Southern pines, common to Texas, this species grows in a “grass” stage for 2 to 5 years during which time it resembles a clump of grass. Once longleaf pine starts its height growth, it grows rapidly.
The “[FRUIT]”, a cone bur, is 6 to 10 inches long, and slightly curved, the thick [scales] armed with small curved [prickles]. The cones usually fall soon after the seed ripens, leaving their bases attached to the twigs.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. It is used for construction. [Naval stores] such as turpentine and rosin are obtained from the tree.
SLASH PINE
Pinus elliottii var. elliottii
Slash pine is not a native of Texas, its natural range in the United States being along the coast from South Carolina to eastern Louisiana. The initial planting of slash pine in East Texas was made on the E. O. Siecke State Forest near Kirbyville in 1926. It has been widely planted in East Texas, and has been so successful in its growth and adaptability to the region that it is now accepted as a forest tree of the State. It is much favored for reforestation by planting because of its exceedingly rapid height growth, good survival, and comparative freedom from tip-moth damage.
