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Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) , Cone of the Month for April, 2025
Illustrated by Eddie Chaffer
One of the most iconic pines of the Southeastern United States, longleaf pine was once a common sight from North Carolina to Alabama, growing on the sandy soils that make up the coastal plain. It’s a highly fire adapted species; fires were once a dependable component of Southeastern forests, set by Indigenous peoples throughout the region. It was heavily logged after European settlement for timber, and today it’s considered endangered due to habitat loss or because it’s been replaced by more commercially valuable species like loblolly and slash pine.
Fun Fact: It grows in a “grass stage” for the first several years of its life, appearing like a mound of long needles before shooting up after a fire, sometimes more than 3 feet (1 meter) in a year.
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) , Cone of the Month for April, 2025
Illustrated by Eddie Chaffer
One of the most iconic pines of the Southeastern United States, longleaf pine was once a common sight from North Carolina to Alabama, growing on the sandy soils that make up the coastal plain. It’s a highly fire adapted species; fires were once a dependable component of Southeastern forests, set by Indigenous peoples throughout the region. It was heavily logged after European settlement for timber, and today it’s considered endangered due to habitat loss or because it’s been replaced by more commercially valuable species like loblolly and slash pine.
Fun Fact: It grows in a “grass stage” for the first several years of its life, appearing like a mound of long needles before shooting up after a fire, sometimes more than 3 feet (1 meter) in a year.