Loblolly Pine

Full Sun

Acidic, Clay, Drought, Loamy, Moist, Sandy, Well Drained

Loblolly pines provide shelter and food for many southeastern animals, including birds such as Carolina chickadees, brown-headed nuthatches, rufous-sided towhees, northern bobwhites and wild turkeys. The seeds are also consumed by chipmunks, squirrels and other small rodents.

The loblolly is native to the east coast of North America from New Jersey to Florida and Texas. As such, it has a long history with the pioneers and is known by several other names, among them rosemary pine, old field pine, bull pine, Indian pine and longstraw pine. In the South, the name loblolly means a depression. The tree was originally observed growing in river bottoms, and that is where it acquired its principal common name. It has a tendency to take over abandoned areas, thus the name “old field”; it is extremely aromatic, which is where "rosemary" came from; and it is blessed with an extremely large trunk, suggesting the name "bull." It was once an important lumber tree due to its abundance.