Longleaf Pine

Description

Botanical Name:  Pinus palustris

Common Name:  Longleaf Pine, Southern Pine

Description:   The longleaf pine is an evergreen, gymnosperm tree that grows 60 to 120 feet tall with short, stout, spare branches forming an open, irregular crown. It is a Florida native tree and a keystone species. It produces both a purple-blue male cone and a dark purple female cone. The cones are the largest of any pine in eastern North America. It has a deep taproot, so make sure you plant it where you want it because it doesn’t like to be moved once established.

Young pines have an extended grass stage for the first five years, which allows the stem to thicken. This means that these plants in 3-gallon and 7-gallon sizes are shorter than the trees I sell usually are. After that stage though, they are considered a fast grower. Cones are produced in spring, wind pollinated, and mature into fall. Long-lived to 200+ years. They are noted for their hurricane wind resistance. Grow in sun, part sun, or part shade. Gives you excellent free mulch for your garden. Leaves are needles clustered on dwarf shoots in threes. They are long, 6-12 inches, pliable, have finely serrulate margins, and are bright green. All surfaces have fine stomatal lines. Buds are silvery-white and aid in identifying this tree. The candles of new growth are 3-15 inches long.

Squirrels, birds, and other wildlife eat the nuts. It is a host plant for the Imperial Moth.

Its native habitat is in sandhill, mesic to dry flatwoods. Grows best in clay, loam, or sandy acidic soils. Very drought tolerant once established.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray.

This plant in 3-gallon containers is 1 – 2 feet tall. These are shorter than most other trees in this size container because they go through a slow-growing grass stage for the first five years.

This plant in 7-gallon containers is 3 – 4 feet tall. These are shorter than most other trees in this size container because they go through a slow-growing grass stage for the first five years.

Plant Lore: Old trees in well managed natural sandhill and flatwoods settings are used as cavity trees by endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. Highly tolerant of fire once established.

Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 9