|                    Sand pine
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                |                    Pinus clausa  
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                |                    Pinaceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.  It can also be an attractive accent tree in parks and large residential yards. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 A key element of scrub, and the only canopy tree. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida. Available in Fort Meyers at Natives of Corkscrew. | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
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                 Medium to large tree with a cylindrical to conical crown composed of numerous branches.  Trunks to 1 foot or more in diameter.  Bark gray, thin, brittle, with flaky scales, relatively smooth when young.  Needles in bundles of 2s, about 2-3 1/2 inches long. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
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                 Typically 20-40 feet in height in South Florida; to 106 feet in Florida.  Taller than broad. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
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                 Slow to moderate. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
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                 Southeastern United States south to Broward and Collier counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the  Exploring Florida website. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
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                 Scrub. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
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                 Dry, well-drained sandy soils, without humus. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 High; does not require any supplemental water once established. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Full sun. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
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                 Greenish turning brown. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
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                 Cone.  Pollination is by wind. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
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                 Spring. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
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                 Short-stalked brown cone, 2-3" long.  Some cones open when mature, other remain closed for 2-4 years or longer, opening irregularly or following fire. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                 Provides moderate amounts of food and cover for wildlife. | 
               
                     
                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                 Can be grown from seed.  Growth is rapid at first. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                 A handsome pine tree for extremely dry soils in South Florida.  The trees are flammable, however, and are best kept away from structures such as houses and office buildings. | 
               
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