Sand Pine

Pinus clausa

Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height: About 80 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry

Pinus clausa — seed photograph — Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database · Public domain · Original photograph

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: Fall
Fruiting season: Winter to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 13 Alabama counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 74 animals.

American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chuck-will's-widow
Caprimulgus carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

125CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Pinus

Eacles imperialisImperial Moth
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar
Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
Argyrotaenia pinatubanaPine Tube Moth
Argyrotaenia tabulanaLodgepole Needletier
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Battaristis vittellaOrange Striped-Back Moth

Show all 125

Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
Calosima dianellaEastern Pine Catkin Borer Moth
Caripeta aretariaSouthern Pine Looper Moth
Caripeta divisataGray Spruce Looper Moth
Celypha nr.Celypha Moth
Choristoneura pinusJack Pine Budworm
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Citheronia sepulcralisPine-Devil Moth
Coleotechnites canusellaBanded Jack-Pine Needleminer Moth
Coleotechnites floraeColeotechnites Flower Moth, Red Pine Flower Moth
Corticivora parvaBronze-Banded Corticivora
Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Cydia anaranjadaSlash Pine Seedworm
Cydia ingensLongleaf Pine Seedworm Moth
Cydia toreutaEastern Pine Seedworm
Dasychira mantoRusty Tussock Moth, Manto Tussock Moth
Decantha boreasellaReticulated Decantha Moth
Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Dioryctria amatellaSouthern Pine Coneworm
Dioryctria clarioralisBlister Coneworm
Dioryctria disclusaWebbing Coneworm
Dioryctria ebeliSouth Coastal Coneworm
Dioryctria merkeliLoblolly Pineconeworm
Dioryctria taedivorellaLesser Loblolly Pineconeworm Moth
Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Euchlaena madusariaScrub Euchlaena
Eucopina cocanaShortleaf Pine Cone Borer
Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
Exoteleia anomalaPonerose Pine Needle Miner
Exoteleia pinifoliellaPine Needle Miner
Feralia majorMajor Sallow, Pine Sallow
Givira annaAnna Carpenterworm Moth
Givira francescaFrancesca Carpenterworm Moth
Hydriomena transfigurataTransfigured Hydriomena
Hypagyrtis estherEsther Moth
Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Hypoprepia miniataScarlet-Winged Lichen Moth
Hypsopygia intermedialisRed-Shawled Moth
Iridopsis vellivolataLarge Purplish Gray
Laetilia coccidivoraScale-Feeding Snout
Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
Lambdina pellucidariaYellow-Headed Looper, Eastern Pine Looper
Lapara coniferarumSouthern Pine Sphinx
Lapara phaeobrachycerousBrou's Sphinx
Macaria bicolorataBicolored Angle
Macaria distribuariaSouthern Chocolate Angle
Macaria granitataGranite Moth
Macaria minorataMinor Angle
Macaria sanfordiSanford's Angle
Macaria signariaPale-Marked Angle, Spruce-Fir Looper, Dusky Peacock
Macaria transitariaBlurry Chocolate Angle
Melanocinclis lineigeraLined Melanocinclis
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Metanema inatomariaPale Metanema
Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
Moodna pallidostrinellaPaler Moodna
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
Nepytia semiclusariaPine Conelet Looper
Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Panthea furcillaEastern Panthea, Tufted Pine Panthea
Patalene olyzonariaJuniper Geometer
Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Pococera melanogrammosBlack-Letter Pococera
Pococera robustellaPine Webworm
Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
Retinia gemistrigulanaGray Retinia
Retinia houseriMinute Pitch-Blister Moth
Retinia taedanaSouthern Pitch-Blister Moth
Rhyacionia adanaPine Shoot Moth, Adana Pine Tip Moth
Rhyacionia busckanaRed Pine Tip Moth, Red Pine Shoot Borer
Rhyacionia frustranaNantucket Pine Tip Moth
Rhyacionia rigidanaPitch-Pine Tip Moth
Rhyacionia subtropicaPine Tip Moth, Subtropical Pine Tip Moth
Satronia tantillaSouthern Pine Catkinworm
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
Syndemis afflictanaFall Dead-Leaf Roller, Gray Leafroller, Black-and-Grey Banded Leafroller
Syngrapha rectangulaSalt-and-Pepper Looper Moth
Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Tolype notialisSmall Tolype
Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
Xestia badicollisWhite Pine Cutworm, Northern Variable Dart, White Pine Dart, Northern Pine Dart
Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
Zale buchholziBuchholz's Zale
Zale confusaConfused Zale
Zale curemaBlack-Eyed Zale, Northeastern Pine Zale
Zale helataBrown-Spotted Zale
Zale metataFawn Virginia Pine Zale
Zale metatoidesWashed-Out Zale
Zale obliquaOblique Zale
Zale squamularisGray-Banded Zale
Zanclognatha marthaPine Barrens Zanclognatha, Pine Barrens Fan-Foot
Zanclognatha protumnusalisConifer Zanclognatha, Complex Fan-Foot
Basicladus celibata
Coleotechnites starki
Dahlica walshella
Rhyacionia aktita
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Pinus

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

15BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Pinus

Alectoris chukarChukar
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
Conuropsis carolinensisCarolina Parakeet
Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
Gymnorhinus cyanocephalusPinyon Jay
Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey

Show all 15

Nucifraga columbianaClark's Nutcracker
Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhynchaThick-billed Parrot
Setophaga pinusPine Warbler

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Pinaceae
Hardiness: Zones 9a–10b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow or purple
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Single stem
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Winter
Fruit ends: Fall

What its natural habitat tells you

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Yellow or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Winter” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
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 9a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 80 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
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)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Very dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Alabama rank	S2
Global rank	G4
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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