Tree of the Week: Pond Pine (Pinus serotina)

Today, which happens to be the summer solstice, we found a small collection of pine cones under the arboretum's lone pond pine (Pinus serotina). This individual is at least 25 years old. You can read more about it on an older blog post (found here) that showcases its orange fall foliage.

 

Looking up at the branches, we see both closed and open pine cones.

These cones are closed, but not necessarily still growing. According to the USDA, these cones might very well be mature and simply waiting for the right conditions to release their seeds: a wildfire burning through the terrain. Either way, we don't expect them to fall any time soon. The USDA Fire Effects website states, "Cones often persist for 2 to 8 years".

There are quite a few cones already open, still attached to the tree. What might cause them to finally drop?

 

These are the pine cones that attracted our attention today. Who knows how long they have been open, hanging on to the branches? The pond pine grows next to a sidewalk and these cones were conspicuous in the leaf litter.

 

Since the pond pine isn't native to Louisiana, it's unlikely that you will see this particular size and shape of pine cone outside of the Centenary College arboretum. These cones are short and stout when compared to the loblolly cone, which can be found throughout northern Louisiana.

 

Pond Pine Cone, measuring 2 inches wide, collected 6/21/21

 

Pond Pine Cone, measuring 2½ inches tall, collected 6/21/21

 

Pond Pine Cone, measuring 2½ inches wide, collected 6/21/21

Pond Pine Cone, measuring 2¾ inches tall, collected 6/21/21

 

Tree of the Week: Pond Pine (Pinus serotina)

For the past two weeks a certain pine tree has been of special interest. But, you say, "How can this be? Louisiana is absolutely lousy with pines. Nobody will even look twice at a pine tree." The explanation is that we have a very unusual species of pine to discuss, unusual at least for our area. The innumerable long, thick needles of this tree have formed a bright orange mat of color in the arboretum. We are referring to the pond pine (Pinus serotina).

This species is not native to Louisiana, but it is native to other states in the southeast, particularly along the Atlantic coast. In December of 1997, Professor Ed Leuck purchased a representative of this species from Woodlanders Nursery, located in Aiken, South Carolina. The young tree was grown in a container for several years before being planted in the ground in the spring of 2003. Today, the tree is slender and tall with a few low-hanging branches.

This pond pine grows at the bottom of a slope next to the concrete drainage that runs under the Fitness Center ramp. For the past two weeks, the pond pine has littered adorned the sidewalk with its orange leaves.

The seasonal harvest of leaves seem to have dropped all at once, uniformly covering the ground.

The needles appear in bundles of three. Needle-length varies from bundle to bundle. These three needles are almost 6-inches long.

7-inch needles

8-inch needles

9-inch needles with extra texture

The fall foliage of the pond pine is eye-catching because, locally, we are accustomed to seeing the rusty-colored loblolly pine straw. The pond pine straw also has a distinct texture: the needles are thicker and more coarse when compared to the loblolly straw.

Top: pond pine straw; Bottom: loblolly pine straw

Pond Pine bark detail

On the branches we see green leaves mixed with orange leaves and a few immature pine cones.

You can find more pictures of the arboretum's pond pine here.

For more information about this species consult the following:
United States Department of Agriculture
Fire Effects Information System (US Forest Service)

Pinus serotina