Scientific Name : Pinus elliottii Engelm.
Common Name : Slash Pine
Chinese Name : 濕地松、愛氏松
Family : PINACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Native to southeastern United States. It is also introduced and cultivated in several provinces of China, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei. |
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| Meanings of name | The specific epithet elliottii commemorates Stephen Elliott (1771-1830), a 19th century American botanist who first distinguished Slash Pine in 1824. |
| Vitality | Slash Pine prefers a full sun or partially shaded environment. It is resistant to brackish water flooding and moderately tolerant of salty winds and moist environments. When planted in the same environment, Slash Pine is less likely to be infested with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus than Pinus massoniana. |
| Ecology | Usually grows in warm, humid, low-altitude areas. It is suitable for cultivation in low mountains and hilly area. In southern Florida, groups of old Slash Pine provide shelter for red-cockaded woodpeckers (Leuconotopicus borealis), while squirrels and other animals feed on its seeds. Since Slash Pine is less susceptible to pests, it has replaced the Chinese Red Pine and become the dominant pine species in Hong Kong. |
| Application | Slash Pine grows vigorously and is less likely to be infested with Pinewood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), making it an ideal tree species for afforestation, its trunk is often processed into timber. After World War II, forests in Hong Kong were heavily damaged, prompting the Hong Kong government to launch a large-scale reforestation program. Due to poor environmental conditions in most areas, exotic pioneer tree species with strong adaptability were introduced to accelerate the greening process. By 1980, exotic tree species still dominated the landscape. Due to its fast growth in barren land and ability to prevent soil erosion, Slash Pine, along with Taiwan Acacia (Acacia confusa) and Brisbane Box (Lophostemon confertus), is known as the "The Three Treasures for Afforestation". It has become a commonly used species for forest planting and is widely cultivated in the countryside of Hong Kong.
Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) and Chinese Red Pine (Pinus massoniana): Both trees are members of Pinus genus. They can be distinguished by observing their crown and leaves. The crown of Slash Pine is conical, becoming rounded or flat at the top, while the crown of Chinese Red Pine is broadly pyramidal or umbrella-like. Slash Pine leaves typically needle 2 or 3 per bundle, while Chinese Red Pine leaves often needle 2 per bundle, rarely 3. |
| Growing habit | Evergreen tree. |
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| Height | To 30 m tall in native range. |
| Stem | Bark orange or purple-brown, furrowed into irregularly oblong, large, papery, scaly plates; branchlets growing twice or more each year, orange-brown, later becoming brown to greyish brown, stout, roughly scaly; winter buds silvery brown, cylindric, scales lashes at margin. |
| Leaves | Needles 2 or 3 per bundle, stout, yellow or blue-green, margin finely serrulate. |
| Seed Cones | Seed cones solitary or paired, pedunculate, peduncle to 3 cm, pale brown, ovoid or ovoidcylindric when open, maturing in 2 years, then falling the year after seeds shed. |
| Fruit | Apophyses lustrous, slightly raised; umbo depressed-pyramidal, with a short, stout prickle. |
| Seed | Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, apex oblique; wing to 2 cm. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website:
https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=7468
Scientific Names from Other Databases
―Flora of China: Pinus elliottii Engelmann
―GBIF: Pinus elliottii Engelm.
https://davesgarden.com/sitewidesearch.php?q=elliottii&Search=Search
https://www.fnps.org/plant/pinus-elliottii
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=7468