Table Mountain Pine is a pine tree native to the Appalachian Mountains. It is typically a medium-sized tree reaching 65 feet with irregular crown and a short trunk with a diameter of 1-1.5'. It is found growing on mountains either in small stands or singly on dry, rocky slopes. The tree can begin producing cones as young as 5 years of age. It is occasionally used as an ornamental but may be difficult to find. Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 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)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Irregular; Spreading
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Acicular
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The twisted, stiff, yellow-green needles have fine stomatal lines, are roughly 1.5-2.5" long and in closely clustered bundles of 2. They last two to three years.
Flower detail
No flowers
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The light brown, 2.5-3" long, stout seed cones most commonly grow in clusters of three to four and a stemless or nearly so. They have a glossy surface and a knobby appearance, each scale tipped with a hooked spine. They vary on when they open, sometimes soon after ripening and other times after two to three years. They can persist on the tree for several years. Fruit displays from September to October.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
The irregularly plated, dark brown bark is covered with small, red-tinged scales.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Orange
Stem detail
Twigs are orange-brown in color; buds are narrowly ovoid, light brown and often resinous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern U.S.A., NC
Distribution
Pennsylvania west to Illinois south to Georgia
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. This plant attracts birds, butterflies, moths, and mammals.