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| How long, exactly, are the leaves of the so-called 'longleaf' pine (Pinus palustris)? This week we noticed orange pine needles accumulating under the arboretum's lone longleaf pine, so it's a good time to take a few measurements! |
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| You can find our tree of the week growing at the top of a clay slope, near the red brick retaining wall that separates the arboretum from Hamilton Hall. This longleaf pine is more than 26 years old. It was collected in November 1993, and planted the same month. As you can see, all of the lower branches are absent, so for most of the year, it's difficult to inspect the leaves of this tree. |
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| Looking up, it's clear that our longleaf pine is not a champion in the shade tree division. Sparsely covered spindly branches jut out from the slender, straight trunk. |
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| Atop the retaining wall looking out into the arboretum, we can appreciate a very different view of the longleaf pine: ascending, elegant branches punctuated with bright green tufts form an open crown. |
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| By the time we have access to the foliage, the needles have turned from bright green to orange. |
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| Longleaf pine needles are indeed long, some measuring more than a foot in length. |
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| The leaves appear in bundles of three. Leaf length varies! In the photo above, two of the bundles have leaves measuring more than 13 inches. |
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| This bundle of longleaf pine needles measures over a foot in length. |
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| 11½-inch needles |
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| 11-inch needles |
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| 10-inch needles |
For more information about this species please consult the following online sources:
United States Department of Agriculture
USDA: Fire Effects Information System
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
University of Florida IFAS Extension
