Loblolly Pine

Pinus taeda

Found in forests and woodlands; maritime forests and thickets; floodplain and bottomland forests; pine flatwoods; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; tree plantations and managed pine. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

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Height: 60–90 feet
Spread: 20–40 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Pinus taeda — fruit photograph — Nathan Howell; Howell, Krings and Braham (2016) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Evergreen
Bloom: March to April
Fruiting season: October to November

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Recorded in 46 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 6

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 173 animals.

Spot-breasted Oriole
Icterus pectoralis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tricolored Heron
Egretta tricolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Warbler
Wilsonia pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

117CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Pinus

Eacles imperialisImperial Moth
Acronicta lanceolariaNarrow-Winged Dagger, Lanceolate Dagger
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

Show all 117

Battaristis vittellaOrange Striped-Back Moth
Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
Calosima dianellaEastern Pine Catkin Borer Moth
Caripeta aretariaSouthern Pine Looper Moth
Choristoneura conflictanaLarge Aspen Tortrix
Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
Choristoneura pinusJack Pine Budworm
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Citheronia sepulcralisPine-Devil Moth
Coleotechnites floraeColeotechnites Flower Moth, Red Pine Flower Moth
Corticivora parvaBronze-Banded Corticivora
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
Eupithecia palpataSmall Pine Looper, Palpata Pug
Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
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 pellucidariaYellow-Headed Looper, Eastern Pine Looper
Lapara coniferarumSouthern Pine Sphinx
Lapara phaeobrachycerousBrou's Sphinx
Macaria bicolorataBicolored Angle
Macaria distribuariaSouthern Chocolate Angle
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
Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Panthea furcillaEastern Panthea, Tufted Pine Panthea
Patalene olyzonariaJuniper Geometer
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 busckanaRed Pine Tip Moth, Red Pine Shoot Borer
Rhyacionia frustranaNantucket Pine Tip Moth
Rhyacionia grantiJack Pine Tip Moth, Jack Pine Shoot Borer
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
Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Tolype notialisSmall Tolype
Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
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 obliquaOblique Zale
Zanclognatha marthaPine Barrens Zanclognatha, Pine Barrens Fan-Foot
Zanclognatha protumnusalisConifer Zanclognatha, Complex Fan-Foot
Basicladus celibata
Caripeta latiorata
Coleotechnites condignella
Coleotechnites starki
Laetilia myersella
Rhyacionia aktita
Rhyacionia fumosana
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

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Pinaceae
Hardiness: Zones 6a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow, purple or red
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Single stem
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: October
Fruit ends: November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “March to April” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow, purple or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 6a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “60–90 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)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “20–40 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Florida rank	S5
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Loblolly Pine

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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