Summary ²

The longleaf pine is a native North American medium to large evergreen tree that is common in flatwoods, sandhill, and upland hardwood ecosystems. It can reach 80 to 125 ft. in height with a 30 to 40 ft. spread but is more often seen smaller. Its bole is long and clear, and the bark is thick, orange-brown, and scaly. The scales are thin and papery. The bark is plated on the largest trees. The twigs are thick, orange-brown with tufts of needles at the ends. The bright green, evergreen needles are up to 14 in. long and very flexible, giving an almost weeping effect to the tree. The needles are borne in fascicles of 3, but rarely can be found in 2. The needles last about 2 years on the tree. Unlike most conifers, the first 3 to 7 years of longleaf pine growth do not involve stem elongation. Rather, it remains a fire resistant, stemless, dense cluster of needles resembling tufts of grass. The best way to differentiate longleaf pine in the grass stage is to identify the longleaf’s thick, silver-white growth candle. The similar-colored buds 1 ½ to 2 in. long remain a good identifying characteristic in larger specimens. During the grass stage, seedlings are developing a deep taproot system below the ground and can sprout from the root collar if its top is damaged. The thick, silver-white hairs found on the buds during this stage in the longleaf’s life cycle provide resistance to fires. Once the root system is thoroughly established, the tree begins normal stem elongation and its sprouting ability sharply increases. The young seed cones are dark purple and generally appear in pairs or in clusters of 3 or 4. Mature seed cones are 6-10 in. long, egg-shaped, and ripening from green to a dull gray brown. The exposed part of each scale is diamond-shaped and flat, with a sharp spine in the middle. The cones are non-serotinous and usually fall soon after maturity.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) t_kok, all rights reserved
2. (c) t_kok, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Plants of the World Online
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
• 植物和名−学名インデックス YList

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