Loblolly Pine
Pinus taeda L.
Also known as Old-Field Pine.
Mature Size: 90 to 110 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
Form: Tall and straight; lower branches self prune; remaining lower branches droop, while the higher branches grow upward; crown oval and somewhat open.
Habitat: Old fields, sandy soils where water table is close to surface, borders of swamps, and other imperfectly drained sites.
Needles
6 to 9 inches long, pale green, slender and stiff, in bundles of three.
Flowers
Males cylindrical, red to yellow, in clusters at branch tips; females yellow to purple.
Fruit
Oblong, 2 to 6 inches long, light reddish to brown, with a spine at the tip of each scale; remain on tree for a year after seed-fall.
Bark
On young trees, bark is red to gray-brown and scaly; later becoming thick, reddish to brown, divided by shallow fissures into broad, flat-topped plates covered with thin scales.
Twigs
Orange-brown, fine to moderately thick; buds narrowly ovoid, light reddish brown.
Values and Uses
The wood is coarse grained with marked contrast between early and late wood. It is used for lumber, paper pulp, plywood, poles, pilings and fuel. Loblolly pine is a common southern shade tree. Pine stands provide habitat for pine warbler, brown-headed nuthatch, deer, gray and fox squirrels, quail, turkey and other wildlife species. Large loblolly pines are a common nesting site for ospreys and bald eagles.
Did You Know?
Loblolly pine is the most important commercial timber tree in Virginia and the Southeast. The tree was named "loblolly" after a seafarer's gruel, which resembled the dark, mucky soil where this pine often grows.
Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 16:22:50 EDT