Pinus taeda L.

Loblolly Pine; Oldfield Pine

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Loblolly Pine is a native evergreen needle-leafed tree in the Pine family (Pinaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. Young trees are less tolerant to fire than some of our other pines and this species was originally confined to lowlands where fire was infrequent. “Loblolly” means a marshy patch of ground. Due to human disturbance and fire suppression it has since spread widely into upland habitats. In Alabama it is the most common species used in plantation forestry. Loblolly Pine is a large tree reaching heights of 150 feet. The trunk is straight and the bark is gray-brown in color, fissuring into square or rectangular plates. The crown is conic or rounded. The branches are ascending to spreading. Needle leaves occur in fascicles of 2-3. The leaves are 4-7 inches in length, straight or slightly twisted, and yellowish-green in color. All surfaces of the leaf have narrow stomatal lines and minutely serrulate margins. Pollen cones are 0.7-1.5 inches in length and yellow-brown in color. They are produced near the terminal end of the branches and drop soon after releasing the pollen. Seed cones are lanceoloid to ovoid in outline, 2.5-4.7 inches in length, and gray-brown in color. The seed cones are sessile or nearly so near the terminal end of the branches, mature in 2 years, and drop soon after releasing the seed. The scales of the cone are armed with a sharp prickle. The seed are winged. Loblolly Pine is a large, straight, and fast-growing tree that is valued for timber and pulp production. It is susceptible to fusiform rust ((Cronartium quercuum f.sp. fusiforme) which causes galls on the limbs and trunk of infected trees. The galls make the plant susceptible to breaking. Heavy infestations can lead to the death of the tree.—A. Diamond.

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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