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longleaf pine Pinaceae Pinus palustris Mill. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet play symbol: PIPA2
Leaf: Evergreen needles, very long and feathery (8 to 18 inches long), with three dark green needles per fascicle; tend to be tufted at branch tips.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males yellow-red, long, in clusters; females oval, purple.
Fruit: Very large (largest cone in the Eastern U. S. at 6 to 10 inches long), ovoid to conical in shape, sessile, red-brown, umbo is armed with a curved prickle, maturing in the fall.
Twig: Very stout, gray-brown; buds large, ovoid, silvery-white.
Bark: Quite scaly, orange-brown to gray, eventually developing flat plates.
Form: A medium sized to large tree capable of reaching over 100 feet in height, with a straight trunk, coarse branches and tufted needles at ends of branches.
 Looks like: slash pine - loblolly pine - pond pine - Apache pine

longleaf pine leaf image
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Additional Range Information: Pinus palustris is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Wood - Landowner Factsheet
External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information