Longleaf Pine
Pinus palustris Mill.
Mature Size: 80 to 100 feet in height and 2 to 2½ feet in diameter.
Form: Tall, straight trunk with an irregular crown made up of thick, gnarled or twisted branches.
Habitat: Poorly drained flatwoods to well-drained, sandy soils; often found on acidic, relatively infertile soils.
Needles
Lustrous, bright green, 8 to 15 inches long, in bundles of three; needles often clustered into dense tufts toward the ends of branches. The large, silvery white, shiny buds (called "candles") are an identifying feature.
Flowers
Males yellowish-red, elongated, in clusters; females oval, purple.
Cones
6 to 10 inches long, with spine-tipped scales; mature the second year, dropping soon after releasing their seed in fall.
Bark
Scaly, orange-brown to reddish-brown; with age, separated into large plates with thin scales.
Twigs
Very thick, gray-brown; buds large, ovoid, silvery-white.
Values and Uses
Longleaf pine once was used for commercial production of naval stores (pitch, tar, resin and turpentine). Today, it primarily is used for poles, pilings, lumber and plywood. The heartwood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and durable. The seeds are a favorite source of food for wild turkey, gray and fox squirrels, and many other wild animals. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker nests in cavities in live, old-growth trees.
Did You Know?
Longleaf pine is a highly fire-adapted species. A longleaf seedling resembles a clump of grass; after a few years, it shoots up into a tall stem topped by a plume of green. Prior to European settlement, longleaf pine forest dominated much of the eastern Coastal Plain. Exclusion of fire has been one factor in the species' decline, but restoration efforts are ongoing in Virginia.
Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 16:22:56 EDT