Tree ID Help

[bbeduhn]

This pine tree is baffling me. It's present in the Piedmont of North Carolina and I've seen a couple of them in the mountains. This one is south of Weaverville, north of Asheville. Its needles are in groups of two. I haven't found it in any of the four guides I have. It is a small to medium sized pine with deeply furrowed bark and an abundance of cones.

[Larry Tucei]

Maybe a Shortleaf Pine, Pinus echinata? Looks similar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_echinata Larry

[bbeduhn]

Shortleafs have a different bark and grow a good deal taller. I've ruled out longleaf, pitch, white and virginia as well. It must not be native but it has assimilated in the central part of NC.

[Will Blozan]

Brian,

I know where the tree is so next time I am by there I will take a look. What about Pinus nigra? This wouldn't be naturally in SC though... Looks like P. rigida to me. They can have extensive areas of two needles but usually with enough looking you can find three.

Will

[bbeduhn]

If that's pitch pine, then I've had pitch pine wrong all along and then have another mystery tree on my hands.

[TN_Tree_Man]

Brian,

It resembles Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergiana) particularly with that deeply furrowed bark and the 2-needle fasicle. If that area of Asheville has a landscaping ordinance for business developments (most likely does), I'm betting that they planted that tree. Pitch pine (P. rigida) contains resin chambers that are easily seen on the under side of the bark.

Steve Springer

[bbeduhn]

Thanks. I'm not familiar with any Japanese pines. They must have been planted over large areas in central NC. Will is going to check it out physically when he gets the chance.

[mdavie]

It's a pitch pine, almost certainly. Will's right that often they have a bunch of two-needle bundles.

[Bart Bouricius]

I agree with mdavie and Will, the retained old cones and apparent twigs coming directly off the trunk are two characteristics typical of the Pitch Pines here in Massachusetts.

[bbeduhn]

The bark is substantially different from the pitch pines I've seen. I can't find anything else that fits it however. Also, the structure of the tree is nothing like pitch pines just 100 yards away. Thanks.