longleaf pine Pinaceae Pinus
palustris Mill.
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