Pinus rigida
Pitch Pine
Pitch pines grow gnarly and twisted on exposed, windswept sites with shallow soils, like bedrock ledges and burned-over ridges. Needles appear in bundles of three and can grow right out of the trunk, as can the prickle-armed cones which persist on the tree for several years. Pitch pine is well adapted to fire: some of its cones will only open and release seeds after contact with fire. Unlike most conifers, Pitch Pine can resprout from the base if its top is killed by fire. “Pitch” refers to the tree’s high content of resin, which was used for making turpentine and tar.