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Loblolly Bay

Gordonia lasianthus

Found in pocosins, bayheads, acidic, organic-rich swamp forests, wet pine savannas, bay forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

49
Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
30–75 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
July to September
Fruiting season
September to October

Recorded in 6 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 96 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Gordonia

  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Callosamia securiferaSweetbay Silkmoth, Carolina Silk Moth
  • Episimus tyriusMaple Tip Borer
  • Gondysia similisGordonia Darkwing
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Paralobesia liriodendranaTulip-Tree Leaftier
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Gordonia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Theaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October
Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “July to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 7a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “30–75 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “10–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rankS1
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources