Pinus pungens (Table Mountain Pine)

Found in high and dry mountain habitats from Pennsylvania and New Jersey south through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee, the Carolinas and Georgia, Table Mountain Pine (Pinus pungens) is a common tree of rocky ridges, dry outcrops and areas routinely hit by forest fires.  There are substantial table mountain pine groves in the Great Smokies, on exposed southern and western slopes over dry sandstone and granite rock.

Table mountain pine tolerates the driest sites of any Eastern pine, commonly growing in stands on dry, nutrient-poor granite and shale rock.  On these sites, table mountain pine remains a small tree, bushy and gnarled from the exposed growing conditions.  However, planted as an ornamental in richer loam soils, table mountain pine can grow into a very large tree – Some have been recorded nearly 100 feet tall with trunks measuring 2-foot diameter at breast height.

Needles of table mountain pine are typically a light green cast. The needles grow 2 to a bundle, are 2-4 inches long and are noticeably twisted, with a pleasant tangerine scent. Large, stout prickly cones remain firmly attached to the branches for years, and often appear when the tree is very young.

A strongly fire-adapted tree, table mountain pine’s cones will usually remained closed until hit by heat from a fire, which opens the cones and causes the seed to scatter.  Though the cones will sometimes open from the heat of sunlight in an exposed south-facing site, table mountain pine usually requires wildfires to clear competition and allow it to grow.   For propagation, the cones can also be opened by placing them in a warm oven at about 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Years of fire suppression in the Appalachians has resulted in a decline in population in natural table mountain pine stands. The 2016 wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg TN have resulted in an incredible renewal of table mountain pine, showing just how important wildfires are to the ability of table mountain pine to reproduce and thrive.

Uses

Table mountain pine is a highly ornamental native pine – Trees become twisted and gnarled with age, especially in exposed locations, almost looking like natural bonsai.  The trees are resistant to deer and rabbit damage due to the long, sharp needles.  Though susceptible to the native pine bark beetle, Table Mountain pine is resistant to the diseases that plague the overplanted Scots and Austrian pines, making it a good replacement in the East.

Here in the Lower Midwest, Table Mountain Pine has proved to be hardy and adaptable, taking our occasional droughts and high winds with ease.  They are excellent mixed in with Pitch and Virginia Pines for reforesting degraded land with shallow, dry soils.  Table mountain pine is also a good replacement for Red Pine, which doesn’t take the heat of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic very well.

Table mountain looks great planted on a hillside in wide groves – Mix it with Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) for a highly ornamental yet nature-inspired planting.  Young pine forests attract all kinds of birds and are especially favored by Ruffed Grouse.

How to Grow Table Mountain Pine

Plant table mountain pine in rich, well-drained soil for best growth – Good companion plants are Scarlet Oak, Chestnut Oak, Sourwood, Mountain Laurel, Carolina Rhododendron, Southern Bush-Honeysuckle, Wintergreen, Trailing Arbutus, Galax, and Appalachian Sedge.  Once established, table mountain pine can grow 2-3 feet per year in good soils.  Growth is often less than 6 inches per year in very poor, dry soils.

Full sun is a must for good growth, as table mountain pine is not shade tolerant at all.  For very hot, windy exposed sites where little else will grow, table mountain pine is an excellent choice.  Planted in groves, table mountain pine gives off a nice piney scent in the warm sun.

Where possible, look for 1 quart to 1 gallon sized nursery stock – Table mountain pine can be very difficult to source in a nursery, unless you check with a specialist native plant nursery in the Appalachian region.  Table mountain pine is reasonably simple to grow from seed, though I found that the seedlings are very succeptible to damping off.

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