| Longleaf pine
|
| Pinus palustris
|
| Pinaceae
|
Landscape Uses:
|
|
Accent or specimen tree. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
|
|
| Availability: |
|
Widely available in central Florida. Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida. |
| Description: |
| |
Medium to large tree with a open, irregular, broadly conical crown. Trunks erect, straight, to 2 feet or more in diameter, but usually much less in South Florida. Bark dark gray, furrowed, and broken into irregular plates. Needles in bundles of 3s, 8-10 inches long. |
| Height: |
| |
Typically 30-50 feet in height in South Florida; to 105 feet in Florida. Taller than broad. |
| Growth Rate: |
| |
Moderate. |
| Range: |
| |
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to Indian River, Glades and Lee counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. |
| Habitats: |
| |
Sandhills. |
| Soils: |
| |
Moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
| |
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
| |
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
| |
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
| |
High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
| |
Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
| |
Greenish turning brown. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
| |
Cone. Pollination is by wind. |
| Flowering Season: |
| |
All year. |
| Fruit: |
| |
Brown cone. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
| |
Provides moderate amounts of food and cover for wildlife. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
| |
Can be grown from seed. |
| Comments: |
| |
Seedlings resemble coarse clumps of grass. It may take 3-10 years to develop a trunk, after which growth is fairly rapid. |
|
|
|
|