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between two rivers

A Longleaf Pine By Any Other Name

By ⋅ July 20, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

I was reading another short non-fiction story in Between Two Rivers while I was on vacation this past week.  This story, Gold in the Pines, is by Gail Fishman.  Fishman has definitely done her research on longleaf pines, so much so that she produces a bunch of other names for the ubiquitous longleaf pine tree.

“Longleaf pines go by a host of common names: American pitch pine, Amerikaanse pitchpine, broom pine, brown pine, fat pine, yellow pine, figured-tree, hard pine, heart pine, hill pine, langbarrig tall, long-leaf pitch, southern pine, longstraw pine, Madera pino, pino tea, red pine, Rosemary pine, soderns gul-all, southern hard pine, Gulf Coast pitch pine, longleaved pitch pine, sump-all, sump-kiefer, tea pine, and turpentine pine.  Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina all claim the tree by name–Florida yellow pine, Georgia heart pine, North Carolina pitch pine, and other combinations.”

Who knew there were so many names to this beautiful pine that laces so much of Florida’s natural tapestry.

Did you?

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  • Barbara

    I usually lump all pine trees into one category. It would be nice to know the differences though. I'll see if I can identify a Longleaf Pine this week

  • Pam

    They were like gold to Florida's early lumber industry. The Pines are an important part of our southern environment and economy.

  • Floridagirl

    That's a lot of names for one species! As Barbara mentioned, I really cannot identify the different pines I see in the wild. My son's property has a lot of native pines, and I've often wondered which they are.

  • Prem Subrahmanyam

    The longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem is the home to a number of native species of orchids, many of which you can read about on my Florida native orchid blog:

    http://flnativeorchids.blogspot.com

  • The Florida Blogger

    Barbara-I'm am not the identifier either. If you see someone walking in the woods with a book hand, you'll know its me.

    Pam-In reading this short story, it sounds like they were very important to Southern economy.

    FG-I never knew there were this many names for one tree. Dang!

    Prem-Thanks for the information and raising the IQ level on TFB. I'll be sure to check out your blog.

  • Shellbelle

    I have Longleaf Pines in my yard, they provide nice shade on these hot days, both in the front and the back. Strange for this old beach gal to be living with pines instead of palms.

  • The Florida Blogger

    Shell-That's what I've always found strange about the Panhandle. Pine trees line the beach instead of palms.

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