great specimen of Pinus elliottii var. densa

[Eric in Orlando]

While in Titusville on Saturday, I came across this great specimen of Pinus elliottii var. densa, South Florida Slash Pine. These are native to coastal central FL and south FL. Notice the shorter height and much rounder and wider canopy than "regular" Pinus elliotti.

[fastfeat]

Nice tree.

Isn't Orlando pretty much near where slash transitions to Southern slash? Or where is the "line" generally considered?

[Ken Johnson]

Nice!

[Eric in Orlando]

We have a couple young ones at Leu Gardens and I have seen a few around town, planted specimens. But the wild ones seem to start to occur in far eastern Orange Co., around Christmas and the Brevard County line (about 25 miles east of Orlando). Once you get near Mosquito Lagoon/Indian River Lagoon they are common and up into southern Volusia County along the coast.

[Tropicgardener]

Slash Pine has been used here in Queensland as a plantation species for a number of decades. It grows super fast and no pests seem to affect it when it is mass (plantation) planted. Unfortunately it also is invasive and invades the native open forests quite easily......much the same as some Australian species have done in the U.S.

[fastfeat]

Slash Pine has been used here in Queensland as a plantation species for a number of decades. It grows super fast and no pests seem to affect it when it is mass (plantation) planted. Unfortunately it also is invasive and invades the native open forests quite easily......much the same as some Australian species have done in the U.S.

Actually, we don't have trouble with any Australian Pinus species (are there any?), just Casuarina, Allocasuarina species (not pines).

OTOH, I've really noticed the tendency of Pinus brutia/P. eldarica to become a very prolific pest on slopes in SoCal where parent trees are planted. So far, they haven't extended too far into wild areas (most of which have long-since been cleared/developed), but they can become very thick, esp. with irrigation. I would suspect this tree could become a real pest where adapted in Australia.

[Tropicgardener]

Slash Pine has been used here in Queensland as a plantation species for a number of decades. It grows super fast and no pests seem to affect it when it is mass (plantation) planted. Unfortunately it also is invasive and invades the native open forests quite easily......much the same as some Australian species have done in the U.S.

Actually, we don't have trouble with any Australian Pinus species (are there any?), just Casuarina, Allocasuarina species (not pines).

OTOH, I've really noticed the tendency of Pinus brutia/P. eldarica to become a very prolific pest on slopes in SoCal where parent trees are planted. So far, they haven't extended too far into wild areas (most of which have long-since been cleared/developed), but they can become very thick, esp. with irrigation. I would suspect this tree could become a real pest where adapted in Australia.

I should have clarified myself there I suppose..........Australian species, I didn't really mean pines....just Australian species in general such as many of the feral Eucalyptus/Corymbia in California or Tea Trees in the Florida swamps.......There are no Pinus species native to Australia.

[palmmermaid]

Slash Pine has been used here in Queensland as a plantation species for a number of decades. It grows super fast and no pests seem to affect it when it is mass (plantation) planted. Unfortunately it also is invasive and invades the native open forests quite easily......much the same as some Australian species have done in the U.S.

If this is fast growing, it is probably Pinus taeda - loblolly pine. It looks much the same as P. elliottii but grows much faster. It is the one generally planted in plantations here.

[Tropicgardener]

Slash Pine has been used here in Queensland as a plantation species for a number of decades. It grows super fast and no pests seem to affect it when it is mass (plantation) planted. Unfortunately it also is invasive and invades the native open forests quite easily......much the same as some Australian species have done in the U.S.

If this is fast growing, it is probably Pinus taeda - loblolly pine. It looks much the same as P. elliottii but grows much faster. It is the one generally planted in plantations here.

No apparently they are using only P. elliottii var. elliottii and P. caribaea var. hondurensis........You would think that if P. taeda is faster growing and suitable to for the humid subtropics they would plant them but there must be a reason for this. Possibly it is because these have been long term plantings and they don't want to introduce another species........Down south in the temperate areas they plant P. radiata which also has become a weed down there.

[fastfeat]

Pinus taeda range extends into Central Florida, from a start in New Jersey. It's really more of a temperate species than a subtropical one.

Most of this range is too cold for Pinus caribaea.

[Tropicgardener]

Pinus taeda range extends into Central Florida, from a start in New Jersey. It's really more of a temperate species than a subtropical one.

Most of this range is too cold for Pinus caribaea.

I suppose this would account for why P. taeda is not used here in Queensland.

[Eric in Orlando]

Hasn't P. elliottii been used alot in southern China and Brazil ? And it is naturalizing in both places ??