Nomenclature:
Pinus × sondereggeri H.H. Chapm.
DERIVATION: In honor of V.H. Sonderegger, state forester of Louisiana.
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Bastard pine.
Sonderegger pine, the only named southern pine hybrid, is a naturally occuring cross between loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). It was originally described by H.H. Chapman (1922) who named it after its discover V.H. Sonderegger. This pine usually occurs singly or in small groups where both loblolly and longleaf pines overlap in range. Because the flowering of both parental trees usually occur at the same time of year, no phenological barrier exists, thus the two freely cross.
Tree characteristics are normally intermediate between loblolly and longleaf. Because this hybrid pine posseses heavy limbs and long-needled foliage like P. palustris, one may confuse Sonderegger pine with longleaf pine. However, the striped brown bud of P. × sondereggeri is a distinguishing characteristic; longleaf posseses a white bud. Also, intermediate in size, the cone is armed similarly to a cone of P. taeda. Because no grass stage exists for this hybrid, it has significant height growth during the first year. Thus, it is easily detected in uniform plantings of longleaf pine.
A few studies report that the growth rate and susceptibility of Sonderegger and loblolly pine to fusiform rust damage are similar, and Sonderegger pine seedlings can be sucessfully planted with loblolly pine seedlings at a variety of sites in the coastal plain (Schoenike, et al, 1975; Henderson and Schoenike, 1981).
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Reproductive Structures
References
- Chapman, H.H., 1922. A new hybrid pine. Journal of Forestry 20:729-734.
- Henderson, L.T., Jr., and R.E. Schoenike, 1981. How good is Sonderegger pine? Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 5(4):183-186.
- Schoenike, R.E., J.D. Hart, and M.D. Gibson, 1975. Growth of a nine-year-old Sonderegger pine plantation in South Carolina. Silvae Genetica 24 (1):10-11.