20 Interesting Facts about The Table Mountain Pine Tree
Pinus pungens or Table Mountain Pines that make their home on dry rocky outcroppings in the Smokey and Blue Ridge mountains of the eastern United States are true testaments to the hardships of that environment. Growing on wind-swept peaks in typically shallow, nutrient-poor soil, the Table Mountain Pine’s gnarled limbs and short stature reflect the grit and determination of the first settlers in the area that ranges from Georgia to south New Jersey. Here are 20 interesting facts about the Table Mountain Pine Tree:
1. Where Table Mountain Pines Grow
Large table mountain pine woods grow on the Great Smoky Mountains’ southern and western slopes on sandstone and granite. Though more common in the Great Smokies, this pine grows throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains and as far north as Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Common Growth Sites
Commonly found in stands on dry, nutrient-poor granite and shale rock, the table mountain pine can endure the driest settings of any Eastern pine. In such locations, table mountain pines are generally quite short and bushy due to the extreme weather conditions they must endure.
2. Description
At maturity, the most often crooked trunk of a Table Mountain pine can reach a diameter of 24 inches (60 cm) at breast height, and the rounded, uneven crown can spread out to a width of 20 feet (6.1 m).
Bark
The bark is an uneven checkerboard pattern of reddish brown to grayish brown.
3. Buds
The foliar buds are reddish brown, ovoid to cylindric in form, 0.24 to 0.36 inches (6 to 9 mm) length, and resinous.
4. Needles
The leaves (needles) are produced in pairs or occasionally trios and have a lifespan on the tree of three years. They range in color from pale to medium green. Sometimes also called a Hickory Pine, the Pinus pungens ranges from 4 to 7 centimeters in length, making them a hefty 1.6 to 2.8 inches (4 – 7 cm) in width.
5. Cones
- Pollen Cones – The elliptical-shaped pollen cones measure around 0.6 inches (15 mm) in length and are a brilliant, yellow color.
- Seed Cones – Each scale on the seed cones’ 1.6 to 3.6 inch (4 to 9 cm) long, ovoid bodies is tipped with a stout, pointed spine measuring 0.16 to 0.4 inches (4 to 10 mm) in length. Thicker, diamond-shaped, strongly keeled, long, and mammillate at the cone base abaxially, the apophyses of the seed scales the umbo is centered and has a strong, curving, pointed claw.
The oblique, deltoid-shaped seeds are about 0.24 inches (6 mm) long, have a dark purple brown to black color, and have a wing that is about 0.4 to 0.8 inches (10 to 20 mm) long.
A young tree can provide its first crop of cones as early as the fifth year.
6. Seed Scales
The seed scales have chunky, diamond-shaped, strongly upturned, drawn out apophyses at the cone base.
Seeds
The seeds have a body that is 0.24 inches (6 mm) long and is deep purple brown to black. They also have a wing that is 0.4 to 0.8 inches (10 to 20 mm) long.
7. Suited for Elevation
Table Mountain Pines prefer altitudes of 1,500 to 4,300 feet (500 – 1,350 m) above sea level where the soil is dry and usually sandy or shaly.
8. The Name
Pinus pungens, were first described in 1805 by Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761–1842), in Annals of Botany, Oxford 2:198. The name “pungens” is a reference to the species’ notoriously thorny seed cones.The name “pungens” is a reference to the species’ notoriously thorny seed cones.
Other Names
Other names for Table Mountain Pine include Bur or Prickly pine (due to the sharp cones), Mountain Pine, Hickory Pine, and Squirrel Pine (because the seeds are liked by red squirrels. They are also called “boomers” in some areas.
9. Distinguishing a Table Mountain Pine from Virginia Pine
Where their ranges meet in the Appalachians, these two pines are sometimes mistaken for one another due to the similarity in their ecological requirements and their overall appearance. The cones and, less frequently, the needles, are the most distinctive features. Table Mountain Pine is found at higher altitudes on steeply inclined terrain with dry, rocky, shallow soil, while the more common Virginia Pine Pinus virginiana) prefers a more moderate elevation range.
Cones
- Table Mountain – Cones can remain on a tree for up to 20 years, with some opening at maturity and others remaining closed until opened by fire or slowly by hot weather. Cone scales are tipped with a larger more pronounced “claw”.
- Virginia – At maturity, each cone opens, but even if one is broken off, it can stay on the tree for another five years. The “prickle” towards the end of a cone scale is narrower.
Needles
- Table Mountain – Either 2 or 3 per bundle.
- Virginia – Always 2 per bundle.
10. Oldest
The specimen GKA111 was found near Griffith Knob, Virginia, and its crossdated age is reported to be 232 years by Pederson (2006).
11. Largest
The largest Table Mountain pine is Located in Stokes County, North Carolina. It has a diameter of 78 cm, a height of 29 m, and a crown spread of 14 m.
12. Tallest
The three highest examples known to exist, range in height from 26.85 m to 29.96 m.
Highest Elevation Found
Highest elevation for this species is a stunted specimen on Andrews Bald in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at an altitude of 5,780 feet, at the southern edge of its distribution.
13. Primary Uses
The Table Mountain Pine is a beautiful native tree with gnarled, aged trunks that resemble natural bonsai when grown in windy, exposed areas. The trees’ long, pointed needles protect them from being nibbled by animals like deer and rabbits.
Table Mountain Pine has proven to be incredibly resilient and flexible, surviving our rare droughts and heavy winds with little to no damage. They work well in a mixture of Pitch and Virginia Pines to reforest shallow, dry soils on damaged land. Since red pine struggles in the warm climates of the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, table mountain pine is a suitable alternative.
For a highly decorative yet natural planting, combine Table Mountain with Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) planted in large groves on a slope. Ruffed grouse are especially fond of young pine forests, although many other species of birds also enjoy them.
14. Commercial Uses
Pulpwood, low-grade sawtimber, and firewood are only some of the commercial uses for Table Mountain pine.
15. Cultivating Table Mountain Pine
For optimal development, table mountain pine should be planted in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil alongside other shade-loving evergreens such as southern bush honeysuckle, wintergreen, Carolina rhododendron, Appalachian sedge, trailing arbutus, galax, and. The average annual growth rate for a table mountain pine is 3-6 inches in very poor, dry soils, although it can reach a height of 2-3 feet in ideal conditions.
Table mountain pine requires full sun and will not thrive in partial shade. Table mountain pine is a great option for extremely sunny, windy, and dry locations. Table mountain pine, when planted in clusters, releases a pleasant piney aroma when basking in the sun.
16. A Pine that Thrives on Calamity
Along with early settlers, like the legendary Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett, this is a pine that thrives on adversity.
Typically, the taproot of a Table Mountain pine sapling will find a crack in the rock and anchor the young tree there. The plant’s secondary, or lateral, roots then stretch out to absorb moisture and nutrients from the surrounding soil and litter. Additional sinker roots enter the crevices, where they feed off the deposited dirt and the thin skins of finely worn, nutrient-rich, damp soil-like rock that line the crevice walls. This allows the trees to flourish in fairly extreme environments.
Table Mountain pine has been found growing on an island in in southern Pennsylvania in the Susquehanna River where the roots were constantly covered by water. It has also been seen around bogs on Mount Pisgah, NC, and at Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park, VA.
Table Mountain pine requires is not only resistant to heat but needs both heat and light for successful natural regeneration. Regeneration on abrasive sites is possible through even-age management prompted by clear-cutting, or in some situations with a seed-tree cut followed by a hot, fast-moving, managed fire to open cones without destroying encased seed.
Sites with a dense cover of shrubs often require a catastrophic fire in order to recover. It can be managed with the greatest success on sites with shallow soils, erosion pavements, and rocky places where it faces the least competition from allied species.
Pitch and Virginia pine prefer deeper soils; in areas with significant microclimatic and soil fluctuation, a combination of these three species would be most suited to making the most of the site while also providing protection from fire and other hazards. But not the hardy Table Mountain; though twisted and stunted in height, it often live well over 200 years in the poorest of soils and worst conditions.
17. Its Closest Cousins
Five different species of pine trees all call this area home: Pitch pine, Virginia pine. white pine, short-leaf pine. Table Mountain pine alone is truly native to the Southern Appalachians.
18. Harmful Agents
The Table Mountain pine may be hardy, but it is not without its enemies. Factors that can damage a Table Mountain are:
- Weather-related causes as high gusty winds, lightning, cloudbursts, tornadoes, and deep wet snowfall.
- Butt and root rot caused by Phaeolus schweinitzii and heartrot in older or damaged trees caused by Phellinus pini.
- Infestations of the cone-boring bug Dioryctria.
- Dendroctonus frontalis, sometimes known as the southern pine beetle, periodically wipes out entire forests.
It’s not uncommon for the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer, to strip trees of their needles yet it rarely kills them. The pine twig gall scale, Matsucoccus gallicola, attacks trees of all ages, from 3-year-old saplings to fully grown trees, causing the bark to bulge and fracture, ultimately killing the tree and all of its foliage.
19. Importance to Wildlife
Table Mountain Pines retain their cones for several years, providing wildlife with a year-round food source. Cones are protected by spines, but animals like the American red squirrel will break off branches to get at them. Squirrels and other wildlife find refuge in this tree as well. The pine needleminer moth and the Nantucket pine tip moth are only two of the many kinds of moths that use it as a host. Table Mountain pines also safeguard their environments by preventing soil erosion and runoff in rocky and precipitous regions.
Many trees’ serotinous cones ensure that animals always have access to food all year round. The abundant food and shelter for wildlife can be found in the thick heath layer that covers Table Mountain pine forests.
20. Interesting Facts
Ballard Mcdonald, whose most well-known song is perhaps 1917’s “Beautiful Ohio,” allegedly wrote the lyrics to “In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia” while picturing a Table Mountain pine in 1913. Perhaps “lonesome pine” best describes what Ronald McDonald named it.
Scenes from the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans were shot in a beautiful Table Mountain stand on a steep mountaintop in North Carolina.
Conclusion:
“This intransigent pine has no business future, nor will it-slow-growing, stingy of shade, without one concession to grace-ever find a role in horticulture. Its place is high on the mountain ridges, where it looks down on the soaring buzzards, where the wildcat lives and the rattler suns his coils.” – Donald C. Peattie
Donald C. Peattie described the rugged nature of the Table Mountain Pine in A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America, saying these pines bear “huge cones that encircle the limbs in dense clusters, each knob of the cone armed with a horrendous hooked prickle, as if to guard the harsh fruit.”
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