Pinus serotina, the pond pine, black bark pine, bay pine, marsh pine, or pocosin pine, is a pine tree found along the Southeastern portion of the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. Pond pine distribution may be starting to spread west towards Mississippi and Tennessee.
Description
This pine often has a crooked growth pattern and an irregular top and grows up to high, rarely to . The needles are in bundles of three or four, and long. Pinus serotina will grow needles and little branches directly from the trunk, similar to the Pinus rigida (pitch pine), but the pitch pines will only grow in drier areas. The Pinus serotina is very similar to the common Pinus taeda (loblolly pine), but the key differences are they have direct needle growth from the trunk, are smaller in size, and tend not to grow straight. The bark of the pond pine forms rough plates. They are a brownish-red color. The pond pines are not as cold hardy as the loblolly and pitch pines. It takes 18 years for the pond pine to reach full maturity. The almost round cones are long with small prickles on the scales. Its cones are usually serotinous, requiring fire to open. For seeds to be used for regeneration, seed trees that are in DBH and 30 years old are expected to produce 5,000 seeds.
Taxonomy
Pinus serotina was described in 1803 by André Michaux. Pinus is a large genus of evergreen conifer trees. The species name serotina is derived from the persistently serotinous cones that may remain closed for several years before they release their seeds. Historically this species has been viewed as a subspecies of Pinus taeda. Similarly Pinus serotina has also been considered a subspecies of Pinus rigida (Pinus rigida subsp. serotina (1880)).
Habitat
Pinus serotina is primarily found in wet and poorly drained sites, most commonly in or near swamps, ponds, bays, marshes, and pocosins. This species is often associated with long-leaf pine, Pinus palustris, due to similar requirements for frequent fire. Pond pines need fire to germinate. Pinus serotina is commonly found in wet and poorly drained sites, but it will grow very well in mineral soils. Pond pines are very useful in preventing erosion and improving water quality. At the north end of its range, pond pine intergrades and hybridizes with pitch pine (P. rigida); it is distinguished from that species by longer needles and on average slightly larger cones. Some botanists treat pond pine as a subspecies of pitch pine. Pinus serotina habitat includes mild and humid climates. The average temperature ranges from . The more extreme temperature ranges recorded for Pinus serotina are . The average annual precipitation in the range of Pinus serotina is between . The pond pine is intolerant of shade. It is suggested that Pinus serotina might be a valuable remedy to treat the kidney, and can be administered as a rub or in a steam bath. Pinus serotina may be useful in treating diseases of the mucous membrane and respiratory complaints. These trees also face the eastern pine weevil and are susceptible to wind damage.
Conservation status
The primary threat to the Pinus serotina is habitat loss of wet flatlands, peat-rich soils, sandy wet flatlands, and pocosins. Pinus serotina allows for trees to regenerate by coppicing. Thus disturbances (e.g. fire) are required for this species to persist and recruit. Pinus serotina is listed by the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern (LC) for extinction.
</gallery>