Pinus clausa

Pinus clausa is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine,Alabama pine, and scrub pine.

Distribution

The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central peninsular Florida, and the other in the western Florida panhandle and the Alabama coast. There is a range gap of about 200 km (120 mi) between the populations (from Apalachicola to Cedar Key).

It is largely confined to very infertile, excessively well-drained, sandy habitats where competition from larger-growing species is minimized by the harsh growing conditions, as in the Florida scrub.

Description

Pinus clausa is a small, often shrubby tree from 5–10 m (16–33 ft), exceptionally to 21 m (69 ft) tall.

The leaves are needle-like, in pairs, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long, and its cones are 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long.

Over much of its range, it is fire-adapted to stand-replacing wildfires, with the cones remaining closed for many years (clausa = closed), until a natural forest fire kills the mature trees and opens the cones. These then reseed the burnt ground. Some populations differ in having cones that open at maturity, with seed dispersal not relying on fires.