Mississippi Native Pine Trees

Pine Trees of Mississippi

Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.)

Height: 90-100 ft occasionally 110 ft
Diameter: 2-3 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: low
Annual rainfall: 35-65
Soil Needs: moist, pH 4.0-7.0
Frost Free Days: 150
Minimum Temperature (F): -8
Growth Rate: rapid
State List: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IL,
KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OK,
SC, TN, TX, VA ...more

Hailed as the leading commercial timber tree in the southeast United States, the native Loblolly pine grows rapidly with a straight trunk clear of branches. It reaches 50 feet in just 20 years, and when mature can top 100 feet with a trunk diameter between 2-3 feet. The bark on young trees is usually dark, blackish-brown and scaly. Mature Loblolly pines are ...more

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Pinus taeda is native to the southern half of Mississippi and a few scattered counties in the north

Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)
Synonym: Pinus australis Michx. f.
Common names: Longstraw, yellow...
Height: 75-120ft
Diameter: 2-2.5 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: moderate
Annual rainfall: 40-60
Soil Needs: infertile, pH 6.0-7.0
Frost Free Days: 250
Minimum Temperature (F): -3
Growth Rate: rapid
Longevity: 400-500 years
State List: AL, AR, FL... more

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A native conifer found in the southeastern United States. Living between 400-500 years, Longleaf pine grows up to 120 feet tall and 2.5 feet in diameter. A rapid grower, it is commin for this species to be 40 feet tall in only 20 years. Like most pines, the first few years are spent in a grass stage where it develops a deep and extensive root
...more

Pinus palustris is native to scattered counties in the southern gulf area in Mississippi

Sand Pine (Pinus clausa Chapm ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg.
Common names: Scrub pine, Spruce
Height: 80 ft
Diameter: 18-20 inches
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: low
Annual rainfall: 40-65
Soil Needs: moist, sandy, pH 4.2-5.5
Frost Free Days: 265
Minimum Temperature (F): 2
Growth Rate: slow
Longevity: less than years
State List: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC

Sand pine has 2 geographic specific variations, the difference being cone behavior. In the Florida peninsula, sand pines are var. clausa, known commonly as Ocala Sand pine. They have mostly serotinous cones, meaning they only open when heat activated. The other variety, var. immuginata occurs in the Florida panhandle and southern Georgia, and is known as ...more

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Pinus clausa is native to a small southeastern area along the Mississippi Florida border

Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata Mill.)
Common names: Yellow pine, Old
Height: 75-100ft
Diameter: 2-4 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: no
Annual rainfall: 20-80
Frost Free Days: 90
Minimum Tempurature (F): -33
Growth Rate: rapid
Longevity: 200-450 years
State List: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IL,
KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY,
OK, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV

An evergreen native conifer, Shortleaf pine has the widest distribution of any southeastern pine species. It commonly attains 100 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. A straight single trunk supports a narrow, conical to pyramidal or flat topped crown. It has a deep tap root and lateral roots about 24 inches beneath the surface and is wind firm. Pinus echinata's ...more

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Pinus echinata is native to scatter counties throughout central and east Mississippi

Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.)
2 variations: elliottii, and densa
Height: 50-100 ft
Diameter: 2-3 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: low
Annual rainfall: 40-80 inches
Soil Needs: moist, pH 4.0-6.4,
Frost Free Days: 250
Minimum Tempurature (F): -18
Growth Rate: rapid
Shade: Intolerant
State List: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC,
SC, TX ...more

Slash pine is a native evergreen conifer found across much of the southern United States. Pinus elliottii, the regular slash pine, is the most abundant and widely spread, whereas Florida Slash Pine, var. densa, is native only to central and southern Florida. The two varieties can hybridize were their ranges overlap. There are several
distinguishing ...more

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Pinus elliottii var. elliottii is native to a few scattered, mosty southern, counties in Mississippi

Spruce Pine (Pinus glabra Walter.)
Common name: Walter Pine, Cedar
Height: 80-100 ft
Diameter: 2-2.5 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: low
Annual rainfall: 35-66
Soil Needs: pH 3.8-5.6
Frost Free Days: 240
Minimum Tempurature (F): -2
Growth Rate: rapid
Shade: Tolerant
State List: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC
...more

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Pinus glabra cones are close to the branches and nestled within dark green needles

An uncommon tree, it is usually found singly in mixed forests. This native evergreen conifer gets its name because of the way it produces smaller branches between the major branch whorls, similar to a spruce. A medium sized tree, Spruce pines usually grown 80 to o100 feet tall and reach 2 to 2.3 feet in diameter. The trunk is straight with horizontal, somwhat drooping ...more

Pinus glabra is native to the lower third of Mississippi

Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana Mill)
Height: 40-75 ft
Diameter:1-1.5 ft
Showy flower: no
Fall colors: no-evergreen
Drought tolerant: highly
Annual rainfall: 32-65
Soil Needs: well draining, pH 4.5-7.5
Frost Free Days: 90
Minimum Tempurature (F): -33
Growth Rate: rapid
Longevity: 200-450 years
State List:AL, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY,
MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA,
SC, VA, WV

A native conifer, the Virginia Pine is a short to moderately lived tree, rarely reaching 150 years in age, and usually begins to decline between 65 and 90 years old. Sometimes ragged or shrubby on poorer sites, Virginia pines only grow to a height of 25 feet in 20 years and reach a mature height between 40 and 70 feet. Most trees do not exceed 1.5 feet in diameter. ...more

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Pinus virginiana seeds are brown and have a single papery wing

Pinus virginiana is native to a few scattered counties running diagonally northeast to southwest across central Mississippi

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3 Pinus palustris needles bundled together in a thick case

Bark of Longleaf pine is thick, fissured and has irregular, flaky plates

New growth on Pinus clausa is lighter green

Yellowish brown Pinus clausa cones nestled in vivid green needles

Pinus echinata cones are pyramidal to conical

Pinus echinata bark is rough and flaky, furrowed into vertical plates

Pinus echinata seeds have a single wing and are light brown

Pinus elliottii var. densa has a 2 to 6 year grass stage

The rough scaly bark of Pinus elliottii var. densa

Pinus elliottii has unique growth buds as they have whitish scales

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The state distribution maps in the species info boxes below are from the USDA NRCS PLANTS Database at plants.usda.gov. In instances where state specific maps are unavailable, the US distribution map will be used in its place. Also, the PLANTS Database website states "Our county data are based primarily on the literature,

herbarium specimens, and confirmed observations. However, not all populations have been documented, so some gaps in the distribution shown above may not be real. Remember that only native and naturalized populations are mapped!"

Pine trees are one of the most varied and widely spread genus of native tree species in North America. From the cold mountains of Alaska to Nova Scotia in the east, from high wind-swept Rocky Mountain cliffs to the fertile Appalachian forests, on seaside borders, swamps, dry foothills, lowlands and everywhere in between, pine trees can be found. Adapted to so many environments, pine trees are hardy survivors in their native habitat. The pine trees of North America were used by Native Americans for treatments of respiratory ailments, in canoe building and even as food. Today native pines are one of the most valuable commercial timber sources and continue to be used for construction, furniture, pulpwood, land management and more.