Plant · P-1010

Shortleaf Pine

Pinus echinata

Shortleaf pine is a tall, long-lived southern pine that colonizes abandoned fields and worn, acidic ground, holding its own against erosion with roots concentrated near the surface. Its resin yields turpentine, rosin and pitch alongside a deep medicinal tradition, and the strong, coarse-grained wood goes into construction, furniture and plywood. What sets it apart from other southern pines is that it resprouts from the base after a fire or a hard cut takes the top off a young tree - a resilience most pines simply do not have. It needs open sun and acidic, well-drained soil to thrive, and struggles badly wherever calcium or standing water builds up around the roots.