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Longleaf Pine

Pinus palustris

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in sandhills; pine savannas; forests and woodlands; ponds, lakes and their shores. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

74
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
60–120 feet
Spread
30–40 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?

At a glance

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

Recorded in 25 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 4

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 154 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (34)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

109CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · 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 109
  • Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Calosima dianellaEastern Pine Catkin Borer Moth
  • Caripeta aretariaSouthern Pine Looper Moth
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • Choristoneura pinusJack Pine Budworm
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia sepulcralisPine-Devil 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
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Exoteleia chillcottiChilcott's Coleotechnites Moth
  • Feralia majorMajor Sallow, Pine Sallow
  • Givira annaAnna Carpenterworm Moth
  • Givira francescaFrancesca Carpenterworm Moth
  • Hydriomena renunciataRenounced Hydriomena
  • 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 sanfordiSanford's 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 canosariaFalse Hemlock Looper Moth, Evergreen Span Worm
  • 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
  • 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 rigidanaPitch-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
  • 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
  • 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
6BirdsRecorded eating Pinus in Louisiana

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. 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

Birds that eat Pinus 6

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Pinaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7b–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Brown
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources