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Black Bark Pine Pinus serotina

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Pinus alopecuroides
  • Pinus rigida var. serotina
Phonetic Spelling
PY-nus se-roh-TEE-nuh
Description

This native plant grows in a full range of soil types, including damp and wet soil with poor drainage.  Its form or habit is conical and often has crooked branching with a trunk diameter of about 1 to 2 ft.  Its native habitat includes swamps, shallow bays, and ponds on the NC Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont.  Its coarse, heavy wood is used for lumber and pulp.

The name, serotina means late, referring to the cones, which remain closed for years before opening.  They will open often following a fire.  In fact, it is particularly resistant to wildfires; after fires, the seedlings and trees will produce sprouts from the roots.  It can even re-sprout after being entirely consumed by a fire, making the resulting clusters of needles on the trunk a very identifiable feature of this tree.

Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  This tree is susceptible to wind damage.  

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#conifer#piedmont#moist soil#NC native#deer resistant#nighttime garden#lumber#Braham Arboretum#larval host plant#food source summer#evergreen tree#food source herbage#Coastal FACW#Piedmont Mountains OBL#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#bird friendly#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#Audubon#wind damage prone#poor drainage tolerant#imperial moth#coastal plant#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#conifer#piedmont#moist soil#NC native#deer resistant#nighttime garden#lumber#Braham Arboretum#larval host plant#food source summer#evergreen tree#food source herbage#Coastal FACW#Piedmont Mountains OBL#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#loamy soils tolerant#bird friendly#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#butterfly friendly#Audubon#wind damage prone#poor drainage tolerant#imperial moth#coastal plant#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Pinus
    Species:
    serotina
    Family:
    Pinaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Used for lumber and pulpwood and sawtimber
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Root Cutting
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Eastern seaboard, S. New Jersey to Florida
    Distribution:
    NJ southwest to AL, east to FL
    Fire Risk Rating:
    medium flammability
    Wildlife Value:
    This plant supports Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. This plant attracts birds, butterflies, moth larvae, and mammals.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Conical
    Open
    Rounded
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Moist
    Occasionally Wet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Gold/Yellow
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Summer
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Width:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Description:
    2 to 3 in., light yellow-brown, globose cones, armed with a small spine, that have either a round or pointed tip. The scales are flat and the spine at the tip can easily come off. They only open in response to heat from a fire and stay on the tree for many years after. Fruit displays in August.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Description:
    Flowers bloom in April.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Needles
    Leaf Shape:
    Linear
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Yellow-green 6 to 8 in. needles in bundles of 3 (3 per fascicle), sometimes 4. They are thin, flexible, and may grow with a slight twist, tufting at the ends. They fall off the tree after 3 to 4 years.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Brown
    Red/Burgundy
    Surface/Attachment:
    Ridges
    Shredding
    Bark Plate Shape:
    Irregular
    Rectangle
    Bark Description:
    Irregular furrowed/cross-checked into rectangular, flat, scaly plates. Dark brown bark that is broken into irregular, flattened, somewhat scaly plates.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Orange
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
    Stem Description:
    The twigs are stout (yellow-orange) and glaucous. They darken as they age.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Theme:
    Native Garden
    Nighttime Garden
    Winter Garden
    Attracts:
    Moths
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Fire
    Wet Soil