Pinus palustris

Longleaf Pine

[ click on any image below to see larger version ]

Family: Pinaceae

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: March - April
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe: September - October

ID tips:

seedlings look like clumps of grass
mature trees tall, up to 40 m (130 feet), with few if any lower branches
needles in typically in bundles of 3 (rarely 4), dark green, often forming tufts at end of branches
needles very long: 20 - 45 cm (8 - 18 inches) long
cones very large, 15 - 25 cm (6 - 10 inches) long

17 August 2016
Carver's Creek State Park, Fayetteville, NC
(early seedling growth, likely second year)

17 August 2016
Carver's Creek State Park, Fayetteville, NC
(young tree beginning vertical growth spurt)

17 August 2016
Carver's Creek State Park, Fayetteville, NC