@StephenV, those appear to be hybrids. The bark seems to be exfoliating more than pure SLPs and with lots of Loblollys in the area that further increases the odds of that. The tree in the 3rd photo has the highest likelihood of being a pure Shortleaf Pine. Those smaller cones are definitely an indicator of SLP genetics in my experience in mixed stands.
Thanks @Kurt - appreciate the insight. Not surprised to hear that these are likely Hybrid varieties. Still very cool trees - much shorter needles and much smaller cones. Seems like I am just outside the native range.
Thanks for all the information and for exposing me to this species of pine!
@StephenV, no problem at all. If you find young ones that you can collect they will respond very well to bonsai culture. Smaller needles than a Loblolly and a bit bigger than a SLP, but both can be reduced via decandeling like JBP, so all the techniques are the same.
Kurt, im in Kansas City, what area in Missouri are you finding these, and how are you going about getting the permits/permission?? I would love to yamadori one of my own one day and unfortunately a long trip into the Colorado mountains to collect is a lot less feasible than a quicker trip to the Ozarks.
Love that our states only native pine is getting this treatment in bonsai, your SLP’s are stunning!
@Macksterofpuppets, most of my collecting happens in SE Missouri and northern Arkansas. Regarding permitting and permissions, that varies on if it is private or public land and what governing entity controls the land. There are national and state forests in those areas, private land and Army Core land as well. All of those require permissions of some sort. I use the onXmaps app to identify ownership and then contact the respective entity to acquire permissions. Obviously, there are different hurdles based on which entity you are dealing with.
My local club, Ozarks Bonsai Society, hosts annual collecting trips in the late winter/early spring. Additionally, The Greater St. Louis Bonsai Society also hosts Yamadori collecting trips (for it members). Both options go to places where SLPs are present as well as lots of other great MO native material.
Awesome! Thank you for the information! Sounds like i need to see if KC has a bonsai club. But thats really good to know about the app as well. My friends and I ride mountain bikes a lot in Arkansas and Ozark areas, I’ll definitely be going into our next trip with a scouting mindset.
Either way Blackroot Farms here has some seedlings i just bought so the Short Leaf journey begins, love that they’re able to grow like JBP, means there’s plenty of care info out there
@Macksterofpuppets, you can use all the seedling training info circulating in the community for JBP to develop SLP seedlings. They respond the same and are very vigorous.
The name of the KC club is ‘Bonsai Society of Greater Kansas City’. Their website address is: http://bsgkc.org/home/
They have a newsletter you can sign up for. I hope this is of some help.
Absolutely very helpful thank you! Have you reached out to Ryan about taking on some of these trees and potentially getting some educational material out there for them, these seem like an extremely underrated hidden gem. Though maybe we in the midwest/ southeast would like to keep it that way lol
@Macksterofpuppets, I may bring a few to the US Nationals this year. If Ryan happens to attend I would be more than happy to introduce him to the species.
@Risealone, that SLP looks like it is settling in nicely. I look forward to seeing pics of it after it gets it first major styling. Thank you for sharing.
To say that Shortleaf Pines are a vigorous species may be something of an understatement in my anecdotal experience across the last 6 years. In my limited time with this species, if I am able to collect a solid root-ball and no major disease/pest setbacks appear across the first growing season post-collection, it is nearly the norm that the first major styling of the tree happens the same year in the Fall.
The process goes something like this (if all the aforementioned stars align):
First Season:
Collect tree in early March.
Pump growth across the first growing season via: heavy fertilization, regular watering and full sun exposure.
Style tree for first time around November.
Second Season:
Fertilize heavily across spring.
Decandle and needle pluck in June (timing varies on size of plant).
Reduce fertilization, but do not stop fertilizing across the rest of the growing season.
Bud select, prune and detail wire in Fall (around November).
Third Season:
Repot in Spring (early-mid March is ideal).
Then repeat prior season’s cycle and continue refining tree.
The first repotting can be done in the Spring of the second season if desired but can slow the tree down if hard root-work is done. Again, the roadmap outlined above is assuming the tree is collected at the right time, with the majority of its roots undamaged and free of disease. Additionally, all timing dates listed are from the region I practice in (Missouri) and throughout the Shortleaf Pine’s native range. Obviously, shifting timing will be needed if the tree is in a different region.
Attached are some photos of a smaller, chunky, Shortleaf Pine I collected in Spring of 2024. The tree was styled in November of 2024 by Kaya Mooney and has been decandled and needle-plucked this growing season (June 2025). It will potted-up into a proper Bonsai ceramic container next Spring (March 2026).
