Pond Pine
Pinus serotina Michx.
Also known as Pocosin Pine, Bay Pine, Marsh Pine, or Black Bark Pine.
Mature Size: 40 to 70 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.
Form: Trunk often twisted, with numerous sprouts and a thin crown.
Habitat: Moist to wet sites, in southeastern Virginia.
Needles
6 to 8 inches long, in clusters of three (occasionally four), slender, dark yellow-green and flexible.
Flowers
Males cylindrical, purple to yellow, in clumps at ends of twigs; females light green to red, at ends of new growth.
Cones
2 to 2½ inches long, light yellow-brown at maturity, globe-shaped; scales flattened and tipped with a slender prickle; remain closed for several years or until opened by fire, staying on the branches for many years after seed fall.
Bark
Dark reddish-brown, divided by narrow, shallow fissures into small, scaly plates.
Twigs
Slender to moderately thick, light brown; buds reddish brown.
Values and Uses
The wood is resinous, heavy and often coarse grained. It is used for lumber and pulpwood. Stands of pond pine provide habitat for a variety of wetland wildlife.
Did You Know?
Pond pine is very resistant to fire, even intense wildfire. It has the ability to sprout after being burned, as well as to sprout from stumps, even when old. Trees completely defoliated by fire will resprout quickly, becoming covered with needles that grow directly from the trunk. This feature often makes pond pine easy to identify.
