The Longleaf Pine produces the largest pine cone (6 to 10 inches long) of all the conifers in the eastern US but most common in the sandy hills of our area. They grow to be 80 to 100 feet tall with a straight small trunk up to 3 feet wide. The needles are long and dense to hold a lot of moisture and because of this they do not burn easily. This pine has a very long taproot (8 to 12 feet long) to help get nutrients and moisture from the soil.
Longleaf pines propagate by seeds, where the seedlings are in grass state first before developing a trunk and taproot. This grass stage can last 3 to 10 years but after this the pine grows rapidly.
The longleaf pine plays a major role in Florida’s ecosystem. Some animals such as the gopher tortoise, Florida mice, gopher frogs, and eastern diamond back rattle snakes are among the none endangered animals that depend on this species of pine for habitat- endangered are the red-cockaded woodpecker and the indigo snake. Some other animals that use this species as a food source are squirrels, turkey, quail, and brown-headed nuthatches.
Some identifying characteristics are the reddish-brown scaly bark, the woody cone which at the tip of its scales has a small prickle that bend towards the base, the needles are by far the most helpful because of their length of 8 to 10 inches long, and finally this species likes to grow in moderate to dense stands of pine with well drained soil.
Websites used
http://www.dariasworld.info/photo_longleaf_pine.htm
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/longleaf_pine/longpine.htm
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