Loblolly Pine / Pinus taeda
Family: Pine / Pinaceae
Characteristics: Loblolly pine is an evergreen tree with medium texture and a fast growth rate. Form is upright, broad, and oval, with irregular horizontal branching. Needles are sometimes twisted, 6 to 10 inches long, in fascicles of 2 or 3. They persist on the tree for up to 4 years. Cones are 3 to 6 inches long, in clusters of 3 to 5. There are sharp spines on the tips of the cone scales. It is one of the most widespread and valuable pines of the Southeast. In Georgia, it comprises most of the timber harvested in the Piedmont.
Landscape uses: Use Loblolly as a specimen tree or for screening. It provides lightly filtered shade, so other plants will grow beneath it. Plant it in full sunlight in well-drained soils. It tolerates poor sites.
Size: 80 to 100 feet high with a spread of 20 to 30 feet
Zones: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Habitat: River bottoms, abandoned farmland. This is a pioneer species.
Native to: Southern New Jersey to Florida, west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma.