|
The Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) belongs to Pinaceae (the Pine family). It is a tall evergreen tree that is native to the southeastern United States, from central Texas east to Florida, and north to Delaware and southern New Jersey. This tree grows mostly in lowlands and swampy areas and can reach 30-35 m in height. The bark is blackish brown and furrowed into rough scaly ridges. Its needles are in bundles of three, sometimes twisted, and measure 12-22 cm long. The seed cones are green, ripening pale buff-brown, 7–13 cm in length. This pine is regarded as the most commercially important tree in the southeastern United States.
|