FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Long, graceful needles and large cones distinguish this from other pines. New growth buds are distinctively large and silvery white, a highly visible trait in winter. This is a long-lived tree that thrives when periodic fires burn over its habitat.
Synonym(s): Pinus australis
Description: Elegant tall evergreen tree. Seedlings resemble clumps of grass.
Leaves: Long needles, 25 to 40 cm in bundles of 3. Needles arranged in dense spherical tufts near the ends of thick twigs.
Flowers/Fruit: Cones large, 20 to 45 cm long and brown and prickly. Pollen released March/April; cones mature September/October.
Habit and Range: Sandy soil in the Coastal Plain and adjacent Piedmont; most numerous in dry sands, but ranges to wet soils (savannas).
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) could be confused with Pinus taeda (loblolly pine), which has thin twigs and shorter needles, 15 to 20 cm long. Cones are also much smaller in Pinus taeda.
Click here to view Pinus taeda.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
