Slash Pine is a tall slender pine with a straight to contorted trunk and a conical to egg-shaped crown that becomes rounded or flattened at maturity. It grows in the infertile soils of sandhills, flatwoods, and near wet lowlands, such as swamps and ponds. It is an important lumber tree due to its strong wood and fast growth and is cultivated as such. This tree can be used in home landscapes as a specimen or in groups or in naturalized areas but be careful with placement as it will lose its lower limbs which die and drop. It also does well in well-drained sites along ponds or streams. Problems: Chlorosis of the leaves will occur in basic soils or irrigation with basic water. Fusiform rust, root rot and Fusarium moniliforme are the most serious pest of slash pines. Insects pests are weevils and sawflies. This tree is susceptible to wind damage. More information on Pinus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12-24 feet; 24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Oval; Rounded
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf shape
Acicular; Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
5-11 in long flexible dark blue-green needles are borne 2-3 per fascicle.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Red/Burgundy
Flower detail
No flowers, pollen cones are cylindrical-shaped, 1.2 to 1.6 inches long, and red to purplish in color. Seed cones are borne singly or in pairs and are ovoid or ovoid-cylindric when open. Cones measure 3-6 inches long, colored light reddish-brown and mature in 2 years.
Bloom time
Winter
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
> 3 inches long
Fruit detail
Not a fruit a cone. 3-6 inch elongated, oval, glossy brown cone has thin scales and fine prickles
Bark color
Dark Brown; Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Red-brown and furrowed when young becoming very platy bark broken into irregular blocks scaly and flaking as it ages.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Orange
Stem detail
Twigs are stout, rough and scaly, orange-brown, aging darker brown.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
SE USA
Distribution
AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TX
Wildlife value
This plant supports Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. The seeds are an excellent food source for gray and fox squirrels and wild turkey. The dense foliage also provides cover and shelter for wildlife.
Attracts
Moths; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Uses (ethnobotany)
Important lumber tree. Russian used to produce steroids from pine pulp extractives in 1968 as well as turpentine used in perfumery, cigarettes, cosmetic, and toilet products.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Lawn; Naturalized Area; Pond; Recreational Play Area; Slope/Bank; Woodland
Pests of Conifers; Pitch Gall Midges; Pine Bark Beetles; Striped Pine Scale; Pine Colaspis; Powdery Pine Needle Aphid; Southern Pine Sawyer; Redheaded Pine Sawfly; Pine Engraver Beetles; Deodar Weevil / Eastern Pine Weevil