Summary ²

Sand pine is also called scrub pine, and is a small to medium evergreen tree. It grows on well-drained, infertile, acidic, sandy soils, and may be found along ridges and hillsides or in upland, open wooded areas. It is usually seen as a scrubby tree with a conical crown, capable of reaching 100 feet in height but more often seen 15 to 40 feet tall, with a slow growth rate. The trees produce many low, lateral branches and the trunk often has a twisted appearance. The bark consists of thick, grayish, or reddish-brown outer plates, with a brown inner bark. Bark becomes very smooth near the top of the tree. The leaves are needle-like, about 2 to 3½ in. long and borne in fascicles of two. They are dark green, flexible, and persist on the tree into the next season. The seeds are held in small ovoid to conical cones, about 1to 3 in. long, with hard, stiff scales and winged seeds. Most sand pine cones are serotinous, which require regular fire to open and release the cones. The cones are very persistent and may accumulate in large numbers on a single tree.

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1. (c) t_kok, all rights reserved
2. (c) t_kok, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online

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