Pinus glabra Walter

spruce pine
Walter pine
Walter's pine
bottom white pine
cedar pine

More info for the terms: frequency, seed, tree

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].

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].

More info for the term: fire regime

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".

More info for the term: forest

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.

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

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].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the terms: hardwood, swamp

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

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K089 Black Belt
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest

More info for the term: severity

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.

More info for the term: cover

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.

More info for the terms: association, hardwood, shrub, swamp, tree

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].

More info for the term: tree

Tree

Spruce pine is less susceptible to insects and disease than other pines,
largely due to its scattered occurrence [9].

AL FL GA LA MS SC

Spruce pine is planted for Christmas trees [9].

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More info for the term: seed

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].

Spruce pine does not sprout after the top is damaged or killed [12].

Tree without adventitious-bud root crown

More info for the terms: cone, seed

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].

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More info for the terms: climax, forest, hardwood, succession

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].

More info for the term: natural

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.

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].