Flora of the Southeastern United States

Pinus rigida P. Miller. Common name: Pitch Pine, Black Pine. Phenology: May; Sep-Oct. Habitat: Southward primarily on dry ridges, more or less requiring fire for its reproduction, less commonly in peat soils of mountain bogs (and then often at elevations of 800-1000 m), northward (as in NJ) in acidic sandy and peaty soils near sea level, and also scattered through a variety of forest types. It is abundant near sea level in the Pine Barrens of NJ, but in NC is limited to the mountains and upper Piedmont; it is replaced in Coastal Plain fire-maintained wetland communities by the related Pinus serotina. Distribution: S. Canada and s. Maine south to n. Georgia.

ID notes: Typically with a crooked trunk, rounded crown, and often with needles or small branches sprouting epicormically from the main trunk. Pinus rigida has longer needles than other pines within its usual distribution, except Pinus taeda and Pinus resinosa, with which it overlaps in a few areas. The cones on P. taeda tend to be longer and more prickly-feeling on the scales while the cones on P. resinosa are typically much smaller than P. rigida, especially on immature serotinous cones. Neither species produce conspicuous epicormic shoots on the trunk like P. rigida.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Can, F, FNA2, G, Il, K1, K4, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, Va, W, WV, Price (1989); = Pinus rigida P. Miller ssp. rigida. Basionym: Pinus rigida P. Miller 1768

Links to other floras: = Pinus rigida - FNA2

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU
• Midwest: FACU
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACU

Heliophily ⓘ: 7