Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
Introductory
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Sullivan, Janet. 1993. Pinus glabra. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pingla/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
PINGLA
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
PIGL2
COMMON NAMES :
spruce pine
Walter pine
Walter's pine
bottom white pine
cedar pine
TAXONOMY :
The accepted scientific name for spruce pine is Pinus glabra Walt.
There are no subspecies, varieties, or forms [13].
Spruce pine has been artificially hybridized with shortleaf pine (P.
echinata) [9,13]. It does not form any natural hybrids.
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Spruce pine is found on the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United
States from southern South Carolina south to north-central and
northwestern Florida and west to Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana
[3,13].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
STATES :
AL FL GA LA MS SC
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K089 Black Belt
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
84 Slash pine
85 Slash pine - hardwood
89 Live oak
91 Swamp chestnut oak - cherrybark oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Spruce pine tends to be a scattered component of the overstory in
southern mixed-hardwood forests. It is rarely found in pure stands and
is not cited as a dominant tree in any association. Its range overlaps
that of other pines, but it usually occurs with the following hardwood
species: magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), American beech (Fagus
grandiflora), gum (Nyssa spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera),
water oak (Quercus nigra), Shumard oak (Q. shumardii), cherrybark oak
(Q. pagoda), swamp chestnut oak (Q. michauxii), live oak (Q.
virginiana), and numerous other tree and shrub species of bottomlands
[6,9,16].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Spruce pine wood is brittle, close-grained, and not durable. It is of
limited commercial importance but is sometimes used for lumber or pulp
[3,9].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Northern bobwhite and squirrels eat spruce pine seeds [22]. Most pines
are important resources for wildlife, both for food and cover. Specific
information on wildlife use of spruce pine is lacking.
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Spruce pine is planted for Christmas trees [9].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Spruce pine is less susceptible to insects and disease than other pines,
largely due to its scattered occurrence [9].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Spruce pine is a medium-sized, native, evergreen conifer. It usually
grows to 90 to 100 feet (27.4-30.5 m) tall and 24 to 36 inches (61-91
cm) in d.b.h. The national champion tree is 125 feet (38.1 m) tall.
The needles are borne in bundles of two and are 1.6 to 4 inches (4-10
cm) long [3,22]. The bark is relatively thin (0.25 to 0.375 inch
[0.64-0.95 cm])[2]. The bark is smooth on young trees, later developing
close ridges with flat plates on the lower trunk of older trees. Upper
branches and trunks maintain the smoother bark [3,23]. The branches are
drooping [17]. Spruce pine develops a moderately deep taproot, with
numerous moderately deep lateral roots. It is obligately mycorrhizal;
seedlings that fail to develop mycorrhizae usually do not survive [2,9].
Longevity is approximately 113 years; the relatively short life span is
probably a result of the high frequency of good seed crops [12].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Spruce pine is sexually mature by 10 years of age; peak cone production
occurs between 20 and 40 years of age. Good seed crops occur frequently
[12]. The small, winged seeds are released upon maturity and
disseminated by wind. Seedling establishment does not appear to require
a mineral seedbed [8,12]. Seedlings develop well in the shade of
hardwoods or other pines, forming widespreading lateral roots near the
surface before penetrating deeper into the soil [9].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Spruce pine grows in limited numbers in rich bottomland woods, swamps,
and on hammocks and riverbanks. It occurs on the Coastal Plain where
summers are long, hot, and humid; and winters are mild. Average
rainfall is approximately 50 inches (1,270 mm) per year and generally
evenly distributed, although fall tends to be the driest season [9].
Spruce pine is generally found on acidic sandy loam soils that are
intermediate between dry sandy soils and alluvial bottomland soils
[2,12]. Spruce pine grows well on moderately to poorly drained sites
that may have a high water table or are intermittently waterlogged [12].
Soil orders tend to be Spodosols or Entisols [9].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Obligate Climax Species
Spruce pine is very shade tolerant. Seedlings and saplings can grow
where available light is as low as 250 foot-candles (2,778 lux) and are
common in many parts of the southern mixed-hardwood forest where light
intensity is less than 1000 foot-candles (11,111 lux) at noon on a
summer day [2]. It is usually only found in late succession hardwood
stands of magnolia, beech, or other climax species. In these stands, it
is represented by all stages of growth [2,15,16]. Where it is found in
younger seral stands, it has usually become established in the shade of
loblolly or shortleaf pines [9,16]. According to Platt and Schwartz
[24], however, spruce pine appears to capitalize on large-scale
disturbance caused by hurricanes. They state that advance recruits in
localized light gaps that are capable of rapid growth at high light
intensities will capture space in the canopy following large-scale
disruption by hurricanes. Hirsh and Platt found that age structures of
spruce pine tend to consist of discrete age classes corresponding to
dates of hurricanes [25].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Spruce pine pollen is released in February and March in Mississippi.
Seed cones ripen in October of their second year, and seeds are dispersed
in October and November [10].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Spruce pine occurs in wet bottomlands that rarely experience fire. It
is not well adapted to fire: the bark is thin and easily damaged, cones
are nonserotinous, and seedling establishment is not enhanced by fire
disturbances. McCune [14] places spruce pine in the fire resilient
group of pines, largely due to its prolific seeding habit. It does not
exhibit any other fire adaptations, nor is it an early colonizer of
disturbed areas (unless provided with a shade or nurse tree).
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Spruce pine is probably easily killed by fire at all stages of growth.
Specific data on the severity of fire needed to kill spruce pine is
lacking.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Spruce pine does not sprout after the top is damaged or killed [12].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Stoddard [20] described mixed stands of magnolia, beech, oak, and spruce
pine that are usually clear of undergrowth due to heavy shading. He
recommends against prescribed burning for wildlife, since even carefully
controlled, low-severity fires do considerable harm to this type of
forest.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Pinus glabra
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Dial, Steve C; Batson, Wade T.; Stalter, Richard. 1976. Some ecological
and morphological observations of Pinus glabra Walter. Castanea. 41:
361-377. [20745]
3. Duncan, Wilbur H.; Duncan, Marion B. 1988. Trees of the southeastern
United States. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 322 p.
[12764]
4. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
5. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
6. Hodges, John D.; Switzer, George L. 1979. Some aspects of the ecology of
southern bottomland hardwoods. In: North America's forests: gateway to
opportunity: Proceedings, 1978 joint convention of the Society of
American Foresters and the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Washington,
DC: Society of American Foresters: 360-365. [10028]
7. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p. [6954]
8. Komarek, E. V. 1974. Effects of fire on temperate forests and related
ecosystems: southeastern United States. In: Kozlowski, T. T.; Ahlgren,
C. E., eds. Fire and ecosystems. New York: Academic Press: 251-277.
[10167]
9. Kossuth, Susan V.; Michael, J. L. 1990. Pinus glabra Walt. spruce pine.
In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators.
Silvics of North America. Volume 1. Conifers. Agric. Handb. 654..
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 355-358.
[13195]
10. Krugman, Stanley L.; Jenkinson, James L. 1974. Pinaceae--pine family.
In: Schopmeyer, C. S., technical coordinator. Seeds of woody plants in
the United States. Agric. Handb. 450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service: 598-637. [1380]
11. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
12. Landers, J. Larry. 1991. Disturbance influences on pine traits in the
southeastern United States. In: Proceedings, 17th Tall Timbers fire
ecology conference; 1989 May 18-21; Tallahassee, FL. Tallahassee, FL:
Tall Timbers Research Station: 61-95. [17601]
13. Little, Elbert L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native
and naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 375 p. [2952]
14. McCune, Bruce. 1988. Ecological diversity in North American pines.
American Journal of Botany. 75(3): 353-368. [5651]
15. Monk, Carl D. 1968. Successional and environmental relationships of the
forest vegetation of north central Florida. American Midland Naturalist.
79(2): 441-457. [10847]
16. Shipman, Robert D. 1958. Planting pine in the Carolina sandhills.
Station Pap. No. 96. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 43 p. [17265]
17. Radford, Albert E.; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, C. Ritchie. 1968. Manual of
the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of
North Carolina Press. 1183 p. [7606]
18. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
19. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
20. Stoddard, Herbert L. 1961. The use of controlled fire in southeastern
game management. In: The Cooperative Quail Study Association: May 1,
1931-May 1, 1943. Misc. Publ. No. 1. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers
Research Station: 179-197. [15068]
21. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
22. Van Dersal, William R. 1938. Native woody plants of the United States,
their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Agriculture. 362 p. [4240]
23. Ward, Daniel B. 1963. Contributions to the flora of Florida--2, Pinus
(Pinaceae). Castanea. 28(1): 1-10. [17991]
24. Platt, William J.; Schwartz, Mark W. 1990. Temperate hardwood forests.
In: Myers, Ronald L.; Ewel, John J., eds. Ecosystems of Florida.
Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Press: 194-229. [17390]
25. Hirsh, Donald W.; Platt, William J. 1981. Dynamics of regeneration
within a spruce pine population in a beech-magnolia forest in
north-central Florida. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.
62: 71-72. Abstract. [20746]
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