Longleaf Pine

Native Trees

Southeast Coastal / Deep South

458 cities

Longleaf pine is a native Southeast species identified by its exceptionally long needles, which come in bundles of three and can reach 18 inches. It once covered 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas before logging reduced that to roughly 3% of its original range. On a residential lot, it provides open canopy shade, deep roots that resist wind throw, and strong wildlife value including nesting habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Lifespan

300 to 500 years under good conditions, with documented specimens exceeding that range in undisturbed longleaf stands.

Mature Size

60 to 100 feet tall with a relatively open, irregular crown spread of 30 to 40 feet. Trees in dense stands grow taller and narrower; open-grown specimens develop a broader, more layered canopy.

Care & Maintenance

Once established, longleaf is one of the most drought-tolerant pines in the Southeast and does not need supplemental fertilizing. It demands well-drained, sandy, acidic soil and full sun. Avoid planting in clay or anywhere water pools after rain, which will kill it slowly through root rot.

Common Issues & Threats

Brownspot needle blight (Lecanosticta acicola): This fungal disease is the primary killer of young longleaf pines during the grass stage. Needles develop gray-brown spots and die back from the tip. Repeated infections can stall growth for years or kill the tree outright. Copper-based fungicides applied in spring and fall can manage it, but the tree has to be monitored closely.
Pine tip moth (Rhyacionia frustrana): The larvae of this small moth bore into new growth tips, causing them to die and turn brown. You will notice dead, resinous shoot clusters called 'pitch tubes' on young trees. It rarely kills an established tree but slows growth noticeably in the first several years.
Pitch canker (Fusarium circinatum): This fungal pathogen causes resinous, sunken lesions on branches and the main stem. Infected limbs die back and ooze heavy resin. There is no chemical cure once it takes hold in the vascular tissue, so early removal of infected branches is the only management option.

Pruning Guide

Longleaf pine requires almost no pruning under normal circumstances. If you need to remove dead or storm-damaged limbs, do it in late winter before new growth begins. Never remove more than one-third of the live canopy, and do not prune the lower limbs off young trees to 'clean them up' as the foliage near the base helps the tree put on diameter and recover from stress.

Did You Know?

Here is what most people get wrong: they assume a slow-growing tree is a struggling tree. Longleaf spends its first three to seven years in a 'grass stage' where it looks like a tuft of long green needles sitting at ground level with almost no visible height gain. It is actually driving a deep taproot during this time, and once that root system is established the tree can put on two feet of height per year. A healthy longleaf planted today can realistically outlive your house by three centuries.

Where Longleaf Pine Is Found

Longleaf Pine is common in 458 of the US communities we cover, across 1 climate regions.

Hardiness Zones 1-9

Doral, FL Zone 11a Greenville, SC Zone 8a Weston, FL Zone 10b Alpharetta, GA Zone 8a Apex, NC Zone 8a Leander, TX Zone 9a Wellington, FL Zone 10b Jupiter, FL Zone 10b The Hammocks, FL Zone 10b Palm Beach Gardens, FL Zone 10b Chapel Hill, NC Zone 8a Horizon West, FL Zone 10a

... and 446 more cities

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