Florida Forest Trees

Spruce pine (Pinus glabra)

Spruce pine, also called cedar-pine or bottom-white pine, is a member of the southern yellow pine group. It is the most shade-tolerant species of southern pine and is scattered throughout the southeast in mixed hardwood stands, rarely occurring in pure stands.

The wood from spruce pine is brittle and close-grained. It lacks durability and has little commercial value, except as a pulpwood. Occasionally, spruce pines are grown for Christmas trees because of their attractive coloring and spruce-like appearance.

The trees provide important resources for numerous wildlife species, including bobwhite quail and squirrels, who eat the seeds. Songbirds, owls, and hawks all use the trees for cover or nesting.

Spruce pine occurs from South Carolina, west to Louisiana, and south into central Florida.

  

Twigs and needles
 

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Spruce pine is a medium-sized evergreen that grows 80' to 90' tall, with an open crown and persistent cones.
Leaves:
 The leaves are needle-like, about 3" long, and found in fascicles of two. They are slender, dark bluish-green, twisted, and lightly fragrant. In spring and early summer, new needles are lighter green and often contrast noticeably with the darker older needles.
Fruit:
 The fruit is a brown, oblong to ovoid cone, about 1" to 2" long, with small, deciduous prickles and winged seeds.
Bark:
 The bark is silvery, greyish-brown and furrowed and looks more like hardwood bark, than that of a conifer.
Habitat:
 Spruce pine prefers wet, shady sites in bottomland woods, hammocks, or along river banks and swamp edges. It grows well in a variety of poorly-drained soils, from acidic to sandy loam. It is often seen in conjunction with sweetgum, tupelo, hickory, beech, and loblolly pine.


Photos
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Bark
Needles
 Cones


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