Table Mountain Pine
Pinus pungens Lamb.
Also known as Hickory Pine or Mountain Pine.
Mature Size: 30 to 40 feet in height and 1 to 1½ feet in diameter.
Form: Short trunk and spreading, irregular crown with several large, heavy branches; on rocky ridges, may be short and twisted.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes and ridges, usually with a southwesterly aspect.
Needles
Stiff, usually twisted, 1½ to 2½ inches long, dark bluish-green, in bundles of two, often crowded in bunches.
Flowers
Males long, cylindrical, purple to yellow, clustered near branch tips; females green to light purple, often in clusters.
Cones
2½ to 3 inches long, light brown, shiny when ripe, with a thick, hooked spine at the top of each scale; very knobby in appearance, growing in clusters of three or more; may open and shed seed as soon as they ripen or remain closed on the tree for several years.
Bark
Irregular plates covered with thin, loose, dark brown scales, tinged with red.
Twigs
Moderately thick and tough, orange-brown; buds narrowly egg-shaped, light brown and often resinous.
Values and Uses
The wood is light, soft, resinous and coarse-grained. It is used for rough lumber, pulpwood and fuelwood. Wildlife, particularly squirrels, eat the seeds. Because it grows where few other trees will, table mountain pine is an important soil protector, minimizing erosion and runoff from the rugged landscapes where it thrives.
Did You Know?
Trees growing on cliffs and rock outcrops may develop picturesque, gnarly shapes. The botanist Andre Michaux named it after Table Mountain in North Carolina, where he first encountered it.
Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 16:23:14 EDT