Medicinal Monday - Table Mountain Pine

If you happen to be out hiking in the Appalachian Mountains, you may come across a small pine tree, known as the Table Mountain Pine with amazingly spikey pine cones that look as though they might hurt if you touch them the wrong way. Table Mountain Pine trees have a relatively small range and Native American communities found medicinal and practical uses for this small, and sometimes irregularly shaped tree.

About Table Mountain Pine 

This tree grows on dry, rocky sites that are inhospitable to most other trees, and because of this, it is often found growing alone. This tree needs plenty of sun and doesn't grow well in dense forests. It grows predominately in the Appalachian Mountain chain from Georgia to Pennsylvania. It can grow up to 40 feet tall at maturity and has many branches that grow on more than half of the tree. The bark ranges from reddish brown to gray and has scaly plates. The needles of this tree range from yellow to green they are twisted and grow in groups of two. The needles have a lemon scent when bruised. The most distinguishing feature of this tree is the dense, green-yellow cones that have a large, hooked spine on them. The cones of this tree can withstand a lot of heat and will open up and spread seed following a forest fire. Table Mountain Pine seeds stay viable for up to ten years. This tree requires fire to spread.

Medicinal and Practical Uses

Like all pines, turpentine can be distilled from resin and used to treat a variety of ailments such as coughing, bronchitis, and common colds. Skin problems such as sores and wounds were treated with poultices and salves. The Cherokee made a decoction that included the cone of this plant and gave it to pregnant women because it is thought to represent a long life. Many Native American communities also used the wood of the table mountain pine for lumber and to make thirty to forty-foot canoes. The resin when heated can also be used for waterproofing wood. In addition, pine seeds,  regardless of the species are edible. 

Did You Know...

This tree was first identified in 1794 on Table Rock Mountain in North Carolina, where it got its name.

Despite its small size, this tree can live up to 300 years. The oldest known tree is 227 years old and can be found in North Carolina.

Red squirrels chew through the thick cones to eat the pine seeds inside.

The Latin name of this tree is Pinus pungens refers to the large spines on the cone of this tree. 

Table Mountain pine is also called hickory pine, mountain pine, or prickly pine.