[element_block_heading _id="561191" heading="Longleaf Pine" style="default"]

 

Once common throughout North and Central Florida, Longleaf Pines were tapped to provide tar, pitch, and turpentine for the early settlers. Today the lumber, a strong and durable wood, is used in the building and construction trade. Longleaf Pine seedlings curtail their growth at the “grass stage” (short seedlings with moist needles) for as long as six years, then shoot up quickly to keep the tree bud out of reach of the next low lying lightning fire in the pine flatwood community. Needles, 10-15″ in length, grow in clusters of three or sometimes four.

Latin Name: Pinus Palustris

Habitat: Pine Flatwood