Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Longleaf pine is a medium to large tree that reaches a height of around 40 meters, with a trunk just under a meter in diameter. The crown is characterized by the pompom- or basketball-shaped tufts of needles at the ends of stout twigs. The bole is long and clear, and the numerous, wide-spreading lateral roots support a deep taproot. Within the first 3 to 7 years of development, the aerial portion of the stem consists of a cluster of needles which resemble a large tuft of grass. This stage of this tree's development is commonly known as the grass stage. Once the root system has become thoroughly established, normal stem elongation begins. |
| Leaves: | Pines have long needle-like leaves that are held in bundles called "fascicles" with a sheath holding the needles together at the base. The first steps toward identifying each species are 1) measuring the length of the needles, 2) counting the number in a fascicle, and 3) measuring the length of the sheath. Be sure to check a few branches to get an average for the whole tree. Longleaf pine gets its common name from its needles which can be up to 45 cm long and are among the longest of any pine. Generally the needles are 20 to 30 cm long and and borne in fascicles of 3 (or rarely 2). They are shiny yellowish green, flexible, and slightly twisted. The fresh sheath is 2-3 cm long. The needles last about two years on the tree. |
| Twigs: | The twigs are thick (1.5-2.5 cm) and orange-brown. They end in large, silvery winter buds. |
| Bark: | The bark is thick, orange-brown, and scaly. The scales are thin and papery. The bark is plated on the largest trees. |
| Cones: | All pines are gymnosperms, which means that they reproduce with seeds but do not bear flowers or fruits. All pines are also monoecious, meaning that they bear both seed and pollen cones in separate structures on the same plant. The seeds cones can be "serotinous" (meaning that they remain closed at maturity and only open in response to a fire) or they can be "nonserotinous" (meaning that they open to release the seeds as soon as they are mature). On longleaf pine, the pollen cones are 2-6 cm long, purple, and many-clustered. The young seed cones are dark purple and generally appear in pairs or in clusters of 3 or 4. Mature seed cones are 15-25 cm long, egg-shaped, and ripening from green to a dull gray brown. The exposed part of each scale is diamond-shaped and flat, with a sharp spine in the middle. The cones are nonserotinous and usually fall soon after maturity. |
| Seeds: | The seeds of longleaf pine are 9-12 mm, with an attached wing adding 25-30 mm. |
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Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List:
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