Longleaf Pine Other Common Names: Southern pine, Georgia pine, Longleaf yellow pine, Longstraw pine, Southern yellow pine Scientific Name: Pinus palustris Native to Alabama: Yes
	Longleaf Pine Stand Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Benny Simpson Click on image to enlarge it

 



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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with a woody trunk supporting woody branches, so I am a tree. I keep leaves year-round, so I am evergreen. I renew my growth each spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 60 - 120 feet high and 30 - 40 feet wide.
Mature Longleaf Pines Flickr - Scott Zona Click on image to enlarge it

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Maintenance Notes
Prevent soil from becoming completely dry. Tree will naturally prune lower branches, but any dead growth can be removed. Can use lawn fertilizer three times per year for faster growth. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Until established, water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day)		Average Watering	Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay,  or Acidic Soil

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION				Longleaf Pine Leaves Wikimedia - Rasbak Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)
Shape: Needle	Margin: Entire/Smooth	Arrangement: Complex	Form: Simple
Description:
Long needle-like dark green leaves range from 8-18 inches in length; They form in fascicles (bunches) of three

FLOWER (CONE) DESCRIPTION							Male cones  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Patsy Chaney Click on image to enlarge it   Female cone Flickr - bobistraveling Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
Color: Male structures are yellowish-red or blue/purple Female structures are brown			Shape: cylindrical cluster (catkin)			Bloom Months: March - April
Description:
Male and female conelike reproductive structures can be found on each tree.  Male reproductive structures are yellowish red or purple blue (spongy in appearance and occur in clusters) and produce pollen Female reproductive structures are woody in appearance and grow near branch tips

SEED DESCRIPTION			Longleaf Pine Seeds LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources - Andrew G. Haase, Jr. Click on image to enlarge it
Type: Cone	Description: Cones are over 5-12 inches in length and over 3 inches in width.  Cones dry out, turn brown, and drop seeds.	Months in Seed: Fall
Plant spreads by:
In the fall, cones dry out and release seeds that are dispersed by the wind.  The seeds must come in contact with the soil in order to germinate.  Historically, natural fires would keep the ground clear from leaf litter, allowing the seeds to easily germinate.  Fire prevention tends to allow leaf litter to accumulate on the ground, so when the longleaf seeds are dropped, they do not come in contact with the soil and will not germinate.

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Plant Life Cycle
Longleaf pine life cycle adaptations for fire: The longleaf pine tree depends on fire for reproduction.  They have special adaptations throughout their life cycle that allow them to thrive when fire is present.   After the seed germinates, the longleaf pine tree goes through several distinct life cycle stages.   The seedling stage of the longleaf pine life cycle takes about a year.  During this stage, the first needles will begin to push through the seed wall.   During the grass stage, the plant does not grow in height and resembles a clump of grass.  During this stage, the stem of the plant grows in thickness, and the taproot quickly develops.  The needles protect the developing bud from fire. This stage lasts between 1 and 7 years.   During the bottlebrush stage (or candlestick stage), the tree begins to grow vertically.  A white growing tip will grow straight upward before needles grow from it and it turns brown.  The growing bud of the longleaf pine is protected from fire during this stage because of the height the plant is able to achieve.  The growing bud is usually above where the fire would reach.  This stage lasts for 1-2 years.   During the sapling stage, the plant continues to grow in height and begins to form branches. This stage lasts for several years.   When the tree has reached its mature stage, it begins producing reproductive cones.  The tree will also self prune any lower branches.   Longleaf Pine Life Cycle The Longleaf Alliance Click on image to enlarge it	Seedling Stage Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Alan Cressler Click on image to enlarge it
	Grass Stage Flickr - Chris M. Morris Click on image to enlarge it
	Bottlebrush Stage Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Patsy Chaney Click on image to enlarge it
	Sapling Stage Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it
	Mature Longleaf Pines Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Alan Cressler Click on image to enlarge it

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Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc

QR Code (Links to this Webpage)

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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database Longleaf Pine Initiative Gopher Tortoise
North Carolina Entension Gardener Plant Toolbox		The National Wildlife Federation
USDA Forest Service		Savannah River Ecology Lab  Herpetology Program

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