February’s Native Maryland Plant

Pinus taeda

(PYE-nus TAY-duh)

Common Names: Loblolly, Old Field, or North Carolina Pine

Visitors to Maryland’s coastal areas are likely to encounter specimens, if not stands of Pinus taeda, a medium to large pine that is native to Maryland’s coastal plain. This tree’s range extends to the southeastern United States, including Texas and Florida where it is prominent; it does best in humid, warm-temperate areas with long, hot summers and mild winters. One of the meanings of ‘loblolly’, the common name of this plant, is a depression, another is mud puddle - this tree was originally observed growing in river bottoms and responds well to additional water and enriched soil.

Loblolly pine is one of the fastest-growing pines, it is tolerant of many soil conditions, but like most pines, it is not shade-tolerant. It can be used as an evergreen screen with the expectation that it will lose its lower limbs as it ages. Pinus taeda’s very columnar and less tapering form, make it an important timber tree; it is used for fence posts, utility poles and plywood; its pine

needles are used as a weed-suppressing mulch. For wildlife it is especially beneficial, as its prickly, red-brown cones often grown as pairs, provide seed for many birds and mammals such as white-tailed deer and the Delmarva fox squirrel¹.

One of the most noteworthy uses of the tree is as a nesting site for bald eagles. Along the Chesapeake Bay, and especially the eastern shore, it’s a common sight to see eagles nest and raise their families in the tall branches of Pinus taeda. I hope you make time to visit the eastern shore this year, to catch site of the unique fauna and native plants– including Pinus taeda!

¹ Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is one of the premier places to observe Delmarva fox squirrel.

Alison Milligan – MG/MN 2013

Watershed Steward Class 7/CBLP

aligmilligan@gmail.com