Loblolly pine is a needled evergreen tree in the pine family (Pinaceae) and is native to the southeastern United States. It has the most rapid growth rate of all pines and may grow 60 to 90 feet tall with a 20 to 40 foot width. Grow Loblolly pine in medium to wet soils and in full sun. It prefers moist, acidic soils with poor drainage but will tolerate alkaline soils. It performs best in climates with hot and humid summers and mild winters. It sometimes grows in pure stands and commonly spreads into old fields by self-seeding. It is loosely pyramidal in youth and develops a dense oval crown at maturity as it loses its lower branches. As the tree ages, the bark thickens forming irregular, flaky plates that reveal a dark chocolate color when removed. In spring, red to yellow male cones and yellow to purple female cones mature in clusters. The straight trunk can grow up to 3 feet in diameter, making this an important timber tree whose wood is used for paper pulp, plywood, and general construction. Its wood value and rapid growth rate make it an important tree for forest management. It is also often seen in subdivisions with homes built among existing pines, a setting which is not recommended due to its fire hazard. This tree is good for fast screening when it is young and is easily transplanted from containers. Plant it away from the house in a mass planting in a meadow, woodland, or other naturalized area. Its characteristics also make it appropriate in a native, rain, or winter garden. Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home. Quick ID Hints: Pine tree with tall, straight trunk Needles are medium length and in threes Needs are borne in clusters at the tips of twigs, which are bare below Cones are persisting, with sharply pointed umbo on each cone scale A food source for the Eastern elfin ( callophrys niphon ) butterfly as well as larvae of the Imperial moth ( Eacles imperialis ) . Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Southern pine beetle and pine engraver beetle. Fusiform rust and rots may occur. This tree is susceptible to wind damage. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Pinus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
24-60 feet; more than 60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 60 ft. 0 in. - 90 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Acicular
Leaf margin
Denticulate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark yellow-green needles ( 3 per fascicle) in bundles of three 6"-10" long with 1" long sheaths and are clustered on dwarf shoots. They are finely-toothed, stiff and slender. They drop during the tree's third year.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
In the spring, the loblolly pine has red to yellow male cones and yellow to purple female cones. Coning is from March to April.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
> 3 inches long
Fruit detail
The stalkless, ovoid-cylindrical to narrow conical cones (3-6” long) with sharply-spined scales appear in groups of 1-3. They release their seeds from fall to winter and stay on the tree for a year before dropping. They are rusty-brown, umbo dorsal and bearing a recurved spine. Smaller pollen cones are yellow-brown in groups of 6-12. Fruit displays from October to November.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Red to grey brown scaly young bark and red-brown furrowed rounded scaly plates with maturity. The plates are broad and flat.
Stem detail
Stems are erect, straight, tall, bearing branches typically above one's head. Young twigs quickly abort fascicles except at apex. The upper branches tend to curve upwards while the lower branches droop, eventually falling off the tree as it ages.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern United States
Wildlife value
It provides winter cover. This plant supports Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. This plant also supports Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) which have one flight from March-June. Squirrels and birds eat the seeds.
Redheaded Pine Sawfly; Southern Pine Sawyer; Southern Pine Beetle; Pine Engraver Beetles; Pests of Conifers; Pitch Gall Midges; Pine Bark Beetles; Pine Colaspis; Powdery Pine Needle Aphid; Deodar Weevil / Eastern Pine Weevil
Resistant to
Deer; Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
This tree is moderately resistant to damage from deer.