Florida is home to a wide variety of trees, and pine trees are among the most popular. There are approximately 6,000 species of pine trees worldwide and about 50 in Florida. Here is a short listing of native pines. Following this list is an extended listing of non-native pines and the pet species.
Pine species are evergreen trees that grow in many different regions worldwide, including North America, Europe, and Asia. Their needles are very narrow (less than 2 mm or a little over 1/12 inch wide) and may be single-sexed or mixed depending on the variety. Pine cones can be large (over 10 cm or over 4 inches long) to small (about 5mm), spiky scales, or smooth surfaces.
They have thick bark that is usually rough and shaggy looking but can also be furrowed and scaly. Pines produce seeds every year, but they do not ripen until after several years of being stored in their pine cones; this is why pine plants are often found in large stands and forests. The seeds of some pines have sticky covers called pine resin, which helps protect them from fire, animals, and insects and from the absence of water.
1) Pinus Australis:
Commonly known as the Australian Pine or Tasmanian Pine is a species of pine native to Australia and New Zealand. It has been widely planted in regions with Mediterranean climates; it thrives on exposure to strong winds, making it applicable for coastal planting in areas such as southern California. In New Zealand, it is often not considered a native species, as Māori settlers introduced it in the middle of the last millennium.
Another common name for this species is “Cook Pine.” The wood has been used extensively for general construction purposes and, more recently, veneers. It has been promoted as an ideal timber for carving due to its predictable grain patterns; P. Australis is used mainly in boat building and joinery, though some specialty products have been created, such as harps and flutes. It has also become a popular species for bonsai cultivation because of its attractive blue-green foliage color when left unpainted.
2) Pinus elliottii:
(this tree needs no introduction. If at all, you thought I was talking about, you would have been wrong. It is this tree. And yes it is very different from the Caribbean Pine)
This species reproduces through its seeds; as a result, forest fires often create large areas of new growth. The cones of this species are highly sought after by collectors and some Native American groups for their medicinal properties and edible pine nuts. It has become an invasive species in some regions due to its prolific seeding and ability to regenerate after wildfires.
The wood is soft (not very strong) but extremely resinous and burns easily with a long flame producing bright turpentine-like flames that make it desirable for use as tinder or kindling.
Treated with various preservatives, it is used for fence posts. Its wood has been extensively used in the past to make shingles, fence posts, and railroad ties; today, P. elliottii timber is primarily used for decorative purposes such as flooring, moldings, and millwork because of its attractive grain pattern.
3) Pinus ayacahuite:
This species occurs at moderate altitudes from northern Mexico south through Central America into Guatemala and Honduras. The Sierra Madre Occidental grows at elevations between 1000-1800 m (3300-5900′), typically alongside P. montezumae. Like many other pines in this region, it is associated with high rainfall and brackish soils and is consumed by monarch butterflies for metapopulation purposes. Although it has a lower level of conservation concern than some other pine species of Mexico, this tree continues to be threatened by logging and open-pit mining activity that is occurring at higher elevations on the mountain range where its habitat occurs.
4) Pinus caribaea:
(don’t ask me why they called it Carribaea Pine, unless they are referring to the Caribbean Sea) This species is more commonly known in English as the Caribbean Pine or Loblolly Pine. It is often referred to simply as Pino (meaning “pine” in Spanish). The wood from this tree was used extensively to make furniture and is still used today.
For most of the year, it looks like a standard pine tree, but ,it produces large quantities of pollen which are very allergenic to many people in the autumn. As a result, this species has been nicknamed The Christmas Tree because of its popularity as a Christmas tree.
This heavy buildup of pollen can make some people allergic to breathing in the caribbean pine’s pollen or even walking under them during late summer and early fall when their pollination season occurs. Its natural range extends from Florida through Mexico and Central America to Venezuela; populations have been introduced outside its native range in southern United States, South Africa, Southern Europe, Australia (Cooktown), India (Mumbai), and Israel for reforestation purposes.
5) Pinus taeda:
also known as the Loblolly Pine, a tree native to eastern North America and found between 35°N and 35°S latitude in the United States from Connecticut south to Florida, west to Texas, north through Eastern Canada. In Mexico, it is present in Central America only in Chiapas state (Chiapaneco pine), near Palenque. The wood of P. taeda has a specific gravity of 0.49-0.62 (dry).
It takes paint extremely well and is therefore used as a painting medium over inexpensive woods such as box elder (Acer negundo). Its high resin content makes it difficult to saw or nail without breaking, but its longevity is excellent, as the wood holds its nails well and resists decay.
It may be easily split into shingles or tongue and grooved without losing resin; therefore, it is a favorite in jig and cooperage work and excels for floors because of its smoothness.
6) Pinus sylvestris:
More commonly known as Scots Pine, it is native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, the Azores, Iceland, and eastern North America. As of 2014, it has become naturalized in other areas, including Australia and New Zealand. It is often found on poorer soils with lime-rich substrates in mixed forests with oaks or pines co-existing with European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), Pedunculate Oak (Q. Robur), European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), and Hazel (Corylus avellana). The Scots Pine is also planted extensively in North America, Australia, and New Zealand as an ornamental tree, producing an attractive dark purple-blue colored bark that is more resistant to weathering than most other pines.
7) Pinus jaliscana:
Found only at high altitudes in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Jalisco, Mexico; this pine species occurs at moderate elevations between 1700-3000 m (5500-9850′) with P. montezumae and adjacent oak woodlands on soils derived from granodiorite.
The pine is an evergreen shrub or small tree that resembles its close relative, the Montezuma Pine Pinus montezumae, and has been known to grow up to 10 m (33′) tall. It reaches its maximum development on acidic soils derived from granodiorite.
8) Pinus ayacahuite:
With a name like this, you know it had to come from somewhere cool! This species occurs in Mexico at moderate elevations between 1200-1900 m (4000-6200′). It prefers rocky sites and only grows on acidic soils derived from limestone with neutral pH levels. Recently we have heard of efforts to cultivate this tree as part of reforestation programs on degraded forest land throughout the world.
9) Pinus sylvestris var. latifolia:
Or Maritime Pine is a variety of Scots Pine native to the eastern coast of North America and found in eastern Canada (Nova Scotia west to British Columbia), also in the northeastern United States from Maine south to Florida and west to Michigan and Wisconsin; very rarely extending into northern Ohio. It grows well near the ocean but can grow inland as far as 450 m above sea level.
10) Pinus jeffreyi:
Common name: Jeffrey pine, Red Jeffrey pine; Native American name: Yé-yú-wú or Ral’ Moqo’ox Shash yáax (“tree that one climbs to reach the sky”).
This tree is native to California, Nevada, and Utah in western North America. The tree grows from sea level up to 2200 m (7200′) altitude. This pine has a high frequency of surface roots because of recurring fires, which remove competing vegetation allowing the seeds to germinate on bare mineral soil. It can also grow back from its root system after being burned down to ground level.
11) Pinus sylvestris canescens:
Or Shy Pine occurs in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States at moderate elevations between 600-1800 m (2000′ -6000′). This plant prefers light sandy soils derived from granite or slate with neutral pH levels but will tolerate most other soil types as long as it is well drained. It is sometimes found on too poor sites for its relative, Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) but grows well with hemlock and other boreal conifers.
12) Pinus canariensis:
or Canary Island pine, is a species of pine native to the mountains of the Canary Islands in Spain. This evergreen tree typically grows at altitudes between 1,000–2,300 m (3,300-7,500′) in wet mountain forests and scrublands. The resulting shade allows this moisture-loving plant to grow slowly without drying out in the hot Mediterranean sunlight. This species can reach a height of 25–30 m (82-98′), with a trunk diameter of 1-2 m (3.3-6.5′), exceptionally 3 m (9.8′) in the Canary Islands. This is a very decorative plant with beautiful, almost black bark that exfoliates in large flakes, especially during windy weather, It can leave behind smooth grey to brownish bark patches on the tree trunks when it falls off at maturity.
14) Pinus cembra:
or Swiss Stone pine, is a species of pine native to the high mountains of central Europe, mostly Austria, Slovenia, Italy, and Switzerland. The tree typically lives above the line where woody trees grow and thrive at altitudes between 1500–3500 m (5000′-12000′).
They may even be found at 4200 m (13900′) above sea level. The tree grows well on limestone, dolomite, or other basic rocks. This pine is a very decorative plant with beautiful reddish-grey bark, that peels off in oval plates, revealing the lighter heartwood underneath, especially during windy weather, It can leave behind smooth grey to brown bark patches on the tree trunks when it falls off at maturity.
15) Pinus nigra:
Occurs in southwest Europe, including Spain, northeast Africa from Morocco and Algeria northwards through Tunisia into Turkey also southeastern France near the Italian border eastward throughout southern Europe, growing at moderate elevations of 600-2000m (1800′-6000′).
It prefers rocky sites and can grow on limestone, sandstone, or dolomite rocks and in well-drained acidic soils with a pH of 5.5-7.2 but can tolerate soils of up to 7.8. This species has very dark, almost black bark which is very thick and deeply furrowed; it is typically used in landscaping for the beauty of its bark. This species is widely planted as an ornamental tree because of its very dense, dark green foliage and rapid growth.
