Which one--Pine Needles or Pine Straw

[ynottony99]

On our last trip to FW my DD and her friend were laughing about a converstation they had with other friends on an earlier trip. The friends had laughed at them for calling the stuff that falls from the pine trees, 'pine needles'. They said it was 'pine straw'.

Now we had always called them needles, and I thought maybe it was just a family thing. Well later that night at the campfire, there were a couple of teenagers there together and she said something to him about the 'pine straw'!!! So I had to speak up and tell them my story. She was from Georgia, just as the other girls were. He was from Florida, and called them needles like we do.

So I thought it would be interesting to see what you all have to say. Are they Pine Needles or Pine Straw

 

[ilovejack02]

I guess I would say I call them pine needles when it is on the trees and once its fallen and on the ground( or in my flower beds lol) i call it pine straw.

 

[Memph1s]

We called them pine needles in Tennessee growing up. I have been in Florida for 22 years now and this is the first I ever heard the term pine straw.

 

[pezheadval]

I'm from South Jersey and we say Pine Needles.
I have never heard of the term "Pine Straw" either.

 

[DaddyDon]

Pine Straw in Ga...at least that's what i call it! I never have bought any pine needles but i have sure bought allott of pine straw at Lowes and Home Depot.

 

[FloridaTeacher]

I'm a southern girl. It's pine straw.

 

[big kahuna1]

They are Pine Needles. Have been since the day I was born almost 50 years ago. The only places they are called Pine Straw are the places that sell them. It is the politically correct term because no one would buy "needles" but they seem to buy "straw".

 

[djblu883]

Pine needles when they are still in the trees...pine straw as they blanket the ground or flower beds!! ALABAMA Gal here lol

 

[PenskeSth1]

We call them pine needles.

 

[Tickla]

Up here in Minnesota we say pine needles--This is an interesting subject because this Labor Day at a big steam-engine tractor show which draws people from all over the country, we heard people calling acorns "OAK NUTS" --that was so funny to us!!!

 

[handman64]

This is an interesting topic.....
On the tree- Pine needles. On the ground or bundled- Pine Straw.
It's our take that Pine Straw is made of bundled Pine Needles. Just like Wheat Straw is made of cut wheat stalks.

 

[Camping Cat]

We call them needles just like the needles on a Christmas tree. Until this thread, I had never heard the term pine straw.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

So what do you call that glop that drips off the pine trees onto my trailer and truck? I still have some from last year I can't get off.

 

[DaddyDon]

So what do you call that glop that drips off the pine trees onto my trailer and truck? I still have some from last year I can't get off.

A pain..........Pine sapp Man i hate when it get's on my truck my clothes my hands.........Can't seem to ever get that stuff off of you!

 

[BLUEAPPLE422]

Around here it is pine straw (and as you can see I'm from Pineville, LA).
As for the the sticky goop from the trees aka sap you can try rubbing alcohol, WD-40 or Skin-so-soft bath oil. The way to use those materials is to let them do their work of dissolving (in the case of alcohol) or softening (in the case of the oils) enough to rub off the sap. Make sure to wash the car afterwards to remove the oils.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Despite the popular vote, I think we have to defer to the poster from Pineville and call it pine straw. How can you argue with someone who not only is from a place called Pineville but also knows 3 different ways to remove pine sap from a truck?

 

[FloridaTeacher]

So what do you call that glop that drips off the pine trees onto my trailer and truck? I still have some from last year I can't get off.

Try getting it out yorkie fur!

 

[DaddyDon]

Despite the popular vote, I think we have to defer to the poster from Pineville and call it pine straw. How can you argue with someone who not only is from a place called Pineville but also knows 3 different ways to remove pine sap from a truck?

I second that Motion..........

 

[bcvillastwo]

I grew up in Northen Virginia (not too far from General Lee's home, now Arlington National Cemetary) and we called those things pine needles.

About 12 years ago we moved to Virginia Beach (southern Virginia) and saw the the nurseries called the bundles of pine needles, pine straw. I can't recall actually hearing any Virginia Beach natives calling them pine straw but based on some of the other comments I bet they do.

It's sorta like the potato and patato thing isn't it? So lets call the whole thing off!

 

[HeatherPage]

Pine needles if its still on the tree or on the ground having falling off the tree. Pine straw if you buy it in bundles to put around your flower beds or bushes.