LOBLOLLY - PINE
PINE, LOBLOLLY Oldfield Pine
Pinus taeda (PIE-nus TIE-dah)
Evergreen Sun Height 80-100 feet Spread: 20-30 feet Spacing: 20-30 feet
HABIT: Grows in low areas primarily but adapts to more well drained sites quite well. Fastest growing of all the southern pines. Needles are almost always in groups of 3, are 5-9” long, and light to medium green.
CULTURE: Easy to grow in acid, sandy soils. Over fertilization and use of pesticides is the cause of the typical pine tree pest problems.
USES: Specimen or shade tree.
PROBLEMS: Fusarium gall rust, southern pine beetle, ice storm damage.
NOTES: Loblolly means “mud holes” and refers to its ability to grow in wetter soils. Slash pine, Pinus elliottii closely resembles loblolly pines but differs by having glossy brown cones on short stalks. Short leaf pine or yellow pine is Pinus echinata, long leaf pine is Pinus palustris. Allepo pine, Pinus halepensis is one of the most commonly used pines in the Houston area.