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Pond Pine (Pinus serotina Michx.)

This species has been classified by some authorities as either a subspecies or variety of pitch pine (Pinus rigida); we treat it separately, as most modern authorities do.

Page contents

Summary
Range
Similar Plants
Habitat
Relatives
Links

↑Summary

A pine growing on poorly-drained, seasonally-wet, fire-prone sites in the southeastern coastal plain.

↑Range - Expand

Legend	Color
Native
Native or Not Present

This map is based on our research. We have checked its accuracy to Level 3 ecoregions. Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.

↑Similar Plants

Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
View - Compare (Under Construction)

↑Habitat

Found in flatwoods, bogs, pocosins, wet savannas, and other low wet areas in the southeastern coastal plain. This species prefers the wettest conditions of any of the pines of the southeast. It usually occurs on peaty and/or sandy soils.

Although it can survive on better-drained sites, it tends to be outcompeted by loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and/or slash pine (Pinus elliottii) on these sites.

Mostly limited to habitats that experience at least occasional (20-40 years) severe fire, and can be found as a minor component of habitats that burn more frequently.

This species is closely related to pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and has at some point been considered a subspecies or variety of that species. The two species overlap in a small area towards the north end of the pond pine's range, and hybridize in this region. However, the two species mostly retain their separate characteristics in the region of overlap and do not form a gradual continuum of intergrades, which supports keeping them classified as separate species.

This species is also closely related to loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and also forms hybrids with that species in the wild.

↑Links & External Resources

• Pond Pine | The Wood Database (About This Site)

• Pond Pine | Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) (About This Site)

• PInus serotina (Pond Pine) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)

• Pond Pine | iNaturalist (About This Site)

• Pond Pine | Virginia Tech Dendrology Factsheets (About This Site)

• Pond Pine | Silvics of North America (About This Site)

• Pinus serotina | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)

• Pinus serotina | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)

• Pinus serotina | Flora of North America (About This Site)

• Pond Pine | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)