These are the cones and needles of Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). A small to medium sized tree. The needles are 3 to 5 inches long and quite stiff and sharp. They are in bundles, or fascicles, of 3. The cones are nicely round with sharp points at the end of each scale.

The tree is found in a small portion of eastern North America from central Maine south to Georgia west to Kentucky. It’s found in locations that other species would find difficult to survive in with acidic, sandy, or low-nutrient soils.

A characteristic of Pitch Pine that I find really cool is called epicormic growth. It has needles growing not just from branches but also from the main trunk. Much like errant flowers on Redbud (Cercis canadensis).

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