BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pinus taeda | Loblolly Pine 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Loblolly pine is a medium- to large-sized native, evergreen conifer with
platy bark and a long, straight, cylindrical bole.  Cones have short,
stout, triangular spines.  Loblolly pine grows rapidly, and is 90 to 110
feet (27-34 m) tall and 24 to 30 inches (61-76 cm) in diameter at
maturity.  Loblolly pine is a medium-lived tree [3].  It grows a 4 to 5
foot (1.2-1.5 m) taproot in deep, sandy or loamy soil, but the taproot
is much shorter and stouter in clayey soil.  In large trees, the lateral
root spread is often greater than the crown spread [59].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Seed production and dissemination:  Loblolly pine is monoecious.  It
produces some cones by age 12 to 18, and begins producing cone crops
with high seed viability by age 25 [59].  Forty-year-old trees produce 3
to 5 times as many seeds as 25-year-old trees.  Loblolly pine is a
prolific and consistent seed producer in the Coastal Plain and produces
large amounts of seed every 3 to 6 years in the Piedmont.  Seed
viability ranges from 15 to 100 percent [3] and averages 60 percent
[59].  Cones contain an average of 45 seeds [19] but may contain
anywhere from 20 to 200 seeds [3].  In a good year, a mature tree
produces an average of 9,000 to 15,000 seeds [59].  Early summer drought
or freezing weather at flowering time results in low cone production
[38].  The winged seeds are dispersed 200 to 300 feet (61-91 m) by wind
[3].

Germination and seedling development:  Seeds lay dormant on the forest
floor for 4 to 8 months.  Germination is epigeal and is enhanced by bare
mineral soil.  Germination takes place in March or early April [3].  No
viable ungerminated seeds carry over to the next growing season [4].
Adequate soil moisture is critical to the survival of newly germinated
seedlings [3,38].  Young open-grown loblolly pine grow 2 to 3 feet
(0.6-0.9 m) in height annually [13].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Loblolly pine is predominantly found on Ultisols but can grow on a wide
variety of soils including Entisols, Spodosols, and Altisols.  It grows
best on moderately acidic soil with imperfect to poor surface drainage,
thick medium-textured surface layers, and fine-textured subsoils.

Loblolly pine thrives in areas with 40 to 50 inches (1,020-1,270 mm) of
annual precipitation and 6 to 10 frostfree months.  Low temperatures
limit its northern range and low rainfall limits its western range [59].
Loblolly pine grows on flat to mountainous terrain from 500 to 1,200
feet (150-365 m) in elevation [3].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Loblolly pine is moderately tolerant of shade when young but becomes
intolerant with age.  It invades oldfields, clearcuts, and other
disturbed sites.  Loblolly pine's rapid growth allows it to dominate a
site early [3].  In the absence of fire, loblolly pine is replaced by
climax hardwood forest.  Where fire burns on average every 10 years,
loblolly pine is considered a fire subclimax [59].  It will supplant
longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) where fire frequency is reduced.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Flowering is initiated in the summer, and staminate and pistillate buds
develop in the fall.  Buds remain dormant until the following spring
when fertilization takes place.  The time of pollen release is variable
and depends on springtime temperatures.  Cones ripen in September and
October of the second season.  Seed dispersal begins in October and
peaks in November.  Eighty-five percent of the seeds fall by
mid-December [3,34,38,59].

Related categories for Species: Pinus taeda | Loblolly Pine