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Pinus elliottii Engelm.

Slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionConiferophytaConifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs)
ClassPinopsidaGymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews
OrderPinalesCone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others
FamilyPinaceaePine family: cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces
GenusPinusLatin for “pine”
Specieselliottii

About plant names...

Slash pine is so called because it is a common inhabitant of “slashes”—that is, swampy ground overgrown with trees and bushes. (This rather strange meaning of “slash” pro­bably derives from the Norwegian word slask, meaning “mud” or “slush.”) It is native to the southeastern United States, and is found at elevations below 492′ (150 m). Some botanists distinguish Pinus elliottii var. densus, or Florida slash pine, from P. elliottii var. elliottii, a variety whose range includes Florida and some surrounding states. Florida slash pine has denser wood, a grass-like seedling stage, longer needles usually in fascicles of two, and opened cones average 4″ (10 cm) long with rounded bottoms. Other botanists cannot discern a clear distinction. Here, we lump them together. Trees live up to 200 years.

Plants: Trees are up to 98′ (30 m) in height, with trunks up to 2½′ (80 cm) in diameter. Most trees are straight, branch­ing only near the top. Bark is orange to purple-brown, irregularly furrowed into loosely rectangular scaly plates.

Leaves: Needles are in groups of 2 or 3, each 6-8″ (15-20 cm) × ⅜-½″ (1.2-1.5 cm). They are dark green and straight or somewhat twisted, and yellow- to blue-green.

Flowers: Buds are cylindric, silver-brown, ½-¾″ (1.5-2 cm) long.

Fruits: Pollen cones are cylindric, 1-1½″ (3-4 cm) long, and purplish, emerging from a branch tip in small clusters. Seed cones occur singly or in pairs, opening to a light chocolate brown color. Good cone crops occur every 3 or 4 years.

Online References:

The Gymnosperm Database

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Conifersociety.org

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Cabi.org’s Invasive Species Compendium

Florida.plantatlas.usf.edu

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/13/2015 · Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, Florida · By Susan M. Kent · ≈ 11 × 17″ (28 × 42 cm)

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 10 × 15″ (25 × 37 cm)

 

Pinus elliottii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/13/2015 · Mahogany Hammock Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 1½ × 2½′ (53 × 79 cm) ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/13/2015 · Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, Florida · By Susan M. Kent · ≈ 3 × 4½′ (91 × 136 cm)

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 1 × 2′ (39 × 59 cm) ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida ID is uncertain

Pinus elliottii (slash pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine)

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 8 × 12″ (21 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

About this map...