Table Mountain pine Pinaceae Pinus pungens Lamb. symbol: PIPU5 Leaf: Evergreen needles, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long, with 2 twisted, yellow-green, stout needles per fascicle. Flower: Species is monoecious; males long, cylindrical, purple to yellow, clustered near branch tips; females green to light purple, often in clusters. Fruit: Cones are ovoid, three inches long and very stout, dark red-brown and the umbo is armed with a large, thick, curved spine, sessile and persistent, often in whorls; maturing in the fall. Twig: Moderately stout and tough, orange-brown in color; buds are narrowly ovoid, light brown and often resinous. Bark: Scaly, dark red-brown or gray in color, eventually developing irregular plates with very scaly surfaces. Form: A small to medium sized tree up to 65 feet tall with an irregular crown that supports several large, heavy branches, often with numerous, persistent, closed cones. Looks like: pitch pine - Virginia pine - shortleaf pine Additional Range Information: Pinus pungens is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting Table Mountain pine. More: Wood External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America USDAFS Additional Silvics USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson