Pinus taeda Linnaeus. Subgenus: Pinus. Section: Trifoliae. Subsection: Australes. clade: Taeda. Common name: Loblolly Pine, Old Field Pine, Yellow Pine. Phenology: Mar-Apr; Oct-Nov. Habitat: Dry to dry-mesic upland forests and woodlands, riparian forests, maritime forests, sandy rises in bottomland forests, pine flatwoods, roadsides, pine plantations, disturbed areas, especially in acid soil, much more abundant and widespread than formerly, and occurring farther inland than as a native. Distribution: Native from s. NJ, DE, and e. MD south to n. peninsular FL, west to e. TX and se. OK, primarily on the Coastal Plain, but inland to s. TN; this distribution now expanded by forestry plantation northward.
ID notes: See P. elliottii for additional characters to distinguish these two species. The medium length needles of Pinus taeda and fast-growing "candles" give the branches a "bottlebrush" aspect.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Other Comments: Harper (1944b) quotes Stephen Elliott in 1824: "Its seed is dispersed so easily and so universally over the country, that all lands which are thrown out of cultivation are immediately covered with this tree, intermingled however if the soil be sandy with the P. palustris."
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, ETx1, F, Fl1, FNA2, G, Il, K4, NS, POWO, RAB, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WH3, Price (1989), Ward (1963); > Pinus heterophylla K.Koch — S, S13; > Pinus taeda L. — S, S13; Pinus taeda L. Basionym: Pinus taeda L. 1753
Links to other floras: = Pinus taeda - FNA2
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Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC
- Great Plains: FAC
- Midwest: UPL
Heliophily ⓘ: 6
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© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Collectors SOS | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
© Joey Shaw source | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Joey Shaw source | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
© Alan M. Cressler | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Pinus taeda, Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Pinus taeda, Mile Rock, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Dekalb County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Bruce Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷Feedback
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Horticultural Information
Intro:
Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) brown or orange or yellow, (3-)5-8(-10) mm wide, glabrous. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous, scaly. Leaf scars absent, bundle scars absent, stipule scars absent, short shoots present or absent, short shoots bearing leaves. Bark of mature trunks flaky or furrowed or plated. Buds axillary or terminal, bud clusters at ends of twigs present or absent, brown or reddish-brown, (6-)10-15(-20) mm long, lance-cylindric or oblong, sharp, glabrous or pubescent, ciliate, bud scales imbricate.
Leaves: Leaves evergreen, needle-like, simple, sessile, fascicled, spreading or ascending, needles (2-)3 per cluster or fascicle, (10-)12-23(-28) cm long, (0.07-)0.1-0.15(-0.2) cm wide, acicular, leaf margins entire or serrulate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases attenuate, leaf cross section three-angled or semicircular. Leaf upper surface green or yellow-green, striped, glabrous. Leaf lower surface green or yellow-green, striped, glabrous. Stipules absent.
Inforescence: Pollen cones shedding pollen February or March or April, (1.5-)2-3(-5) cm long. Seed cone maturation 2 years. Seed cones semi-persistent or not persistent, axillary, sessile or nearly sessile, nearly symmetric or symmetric, before opening lance-cylindric or lanceoloid or ovoid-cylindric, when open conic or ovoid or ovoid-cylindric, (5-)6-12(-15) cm long, immature seed cones green, mature seed cones brown or gray or reddish-brown. Seed cone scales woody, armed. Seed cone armature persistent, curved or straight, strong. Apophyses smooth or wrinkled, keeled.
Flowers:
Fruits:
Comments: Needles slightly twisted; buds not resinous (or only slightly so); bark plates rarely with resin pockets.
Height: (20-)25-40(-55) m tall.
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description:
stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) brown or orange or yellow, (3-)5-8(-10) mm wide, glabrous. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous, scaly. Leaf scars absent, bundle scars absent, stipule scars absent, short shoots present or absent, short shoots bearing leaves. Bark of mature trunks flaky or furrowed or plated. Buds axillary or terminal, bud clusters at ends of twigs present or absent, brown or reddish-brown, (6-)10-15(-20) mm long, lance-cylindric or oblong, sharp, glabrous or pubescent, ciliate, bud scales imbricate.
leaves: Leaves evergreen, needle-like, simple, sessile, fascicled, spreading or ascending, needles (2-)3 per cluster or fascicle, (10-)12-23(-28) cm long, (0.07-)0.1-0.15(-0.2) cm wide, acicular, leaf margins entire or serrulate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases attenuate, leaf cross section three-angled or semicircular. Leaf upper surface green or yellow-green, striped, glabrous. Leaf lower surface green or yellow-green, striped, glabrous. Stipules absent.
inflorescence: Pollen cones shedding pollen February or March or April, (1.5-)2-3(-5) cm long. Seed cone maturation 2 years. Seed cones semi-persistent or not persistent, axillary, sessile or nearly sessile, nearly symmetric or symmetric, before opening lance-cylindric or lanceoloid or ovoid-cylindric, when open conic or ovoid or ovoid-cylindric, (5-)6-12(-15) cm long, immature seed cones green, mature seed cones brown or gray or reddish-brown. Seed cone scales woody, armed. Seed cone armature persistent, curved or straight, strong. Apophyses smooth or wrinkled, keeled.
flowers:
fruits:
comments: Needles slightly twisted; buds not resinous (or only slightly so); bark plates rarely with resin pockets.
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: southeastern United States
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