7 Native Pine Trees In Mississippi (Identification Guide)

Did you know that Mississippi is home to some incredible native pine trees? These towering beauties not only add to the state’s natural charm but also play a crucial role in its diverse ecosystems. 

From providing shelter to wildlife to offering valuable timber resources, these pine trees are real MVPs. And let’s not forget about the clean air they contribute! 

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at seven amazing native pine trees in Mississippi. And, each tree is provided with a high-quality photo, unique characteristics, and the important role they play in our environment. 

So, let’s dive in!

1. Shortleaf Pine

• Common Name: Shortleaf Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus echinata Mill.
• Mature Height: Up to 100 feet
• Native Range: Southeastern New York to northern Florida, west to Oklahoma, and eastern Texas.
• Cones: Greenish yellow pollen cones; pinkish ovulate cones; dull gray mature cones; brown mottled seeds with straw-colored wings
• Uses: Lumber, plywood, structural materials, animal food, and ornamental.

Shortleaf pines, also known as southern yellow pines, Oldfield pines, short straw pines, or Arkansas soft pines, are evergreen trees that can reach heights of 100 feet. They have slender, flexible needles that are dark yellow-green. The twigs are slim and pale green, eventually turning reddish brown. The buds are smooth and reddish brown.

Shortleaf pines produce pinkish ovulation cones and greenish-yellow pollen cones. The mature cones are gray in color and oval in shape. The seeds are winged and brown with black mottling.

These trees thrive in a wide range of soils and environments but are most typically found in dry upland soils. They are shade-intolerant and have a moderate lifespan of more than 50 years. Because birds and small mammals eat the seeds of shortleaf pines, they are beneficial to wildlife. Many creatures find shelter from the wind and cold under the canopies of these trees. They are also red-cockaded woodpecker nesting trees.

Shortleaf pines have a high timber value and are used to make lumber, plywood, and other building products. They are widely planted for reclamation reasons on eroded soils. They are sometimes planted as attractive evergreens and screens in urban areas in landscaping.

Among shortleaf pine trees in Mississippi, the largest one measures 41.5 inches in diameter and is 138 feet tall, demonstrating how large these trees can grow. 

2. Spruce Pine

• Common Name: Spruce Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus glabra Walter
• Mature Height: 90.0 feet
• Native Range: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
• Cones: Greenish-yellow pollen cones clustered at the base of terminal buds, pinkish-pale green ovulate cones on tips of fertile twigs.
• Uses: Christmas trees, used for pulping operations, are popular in landscaping for their speed of growth and dark green needles.

One of the tallest pine trees in Mississippi, the Spruce Pine, also known as Cedar Pine, Walter Pine, or Bottom White Pine, is an evergreen tree that can easily reach heights of 90 feet and is found in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. 

The needles of the tree are dark green, slender, flattened, and twisted. When young, its twigs are slender and gray-green, maturing to a light brown color. Greenish-yellow pollen cones grouped at the base of terminal buds and pinkish pale green ovulation cones on the tips of fertile twigs are produced by the Spruce Pine. 

Conical-elliptical mature cones with slightly keeled scales and tiny prickles. Its triangular, winged seeds have a thin, dark gray shell with black mottling. When young, the bark is smooth and grayish brown, but it darkens to nearly black with age and develops narrow scaly ridges. 

The Spruce Pine can withstand shade but has a limited tolerance for drought. It grows quickly, reaching a maximum height of 30 feet after 20 years. The tree grows best in damp, sandy loam soils in alluvial flood plains, stream banks, or mixed hardwood hammocks. 

In mixed pine-hardwood communities, it provides habitat and food for wildlife. Despite its low commercial value as timber due to its brittle and close-grained wood, the Spruce Pine is commonly planted as a Christmas tree and can be utilized in pulping facilities. 

It is also often used in landscaping because of its rapid growth, thick dark green needles, and tolerance of damp soils. The tree can be cut and used as a Christmas tree, or it can be planted to provide a dense evergreen border.

3. Longleaf Pine

• Common Name: Longleaf Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus palustris Miller
• Mature Height: 120.0 feet
• Native Range: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southeastern Virginia to central Florida; west to eastern Texas
• Cones: Purple-blue pollen cones in large clusters at the base of terminal buds; rose-purple ovulate cones in pairs or clusters.
• Uses: Wildlife wood, timber for kraft paper and paperboard, and resins are used in the production of paints, varnishes, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, etc.

Longleaf Pines are the tallest pine trees in Mississippi and can reach an average height of 120.0 feet, with taller varieties even reaching 150f feet This evergreen tree is also known as Georgia Pine or Southern Yellow Pine.

The tree’s needles are dark green and can grow up to 18.0 inches long. It has tough and scaly twigs and huge silvery gray buds with fringed scales. Longleaf Pine has enormous clusters of purple-blue pollen cones and pairs or clusters of rose-purple ovulation cones. 

Mature cones measure 6.0-10.0 inches in length and have elevated scales and a tiny reflexed prickle. The tree also produces flying seeds, which birds and small mammals consume.

The Longleaf Pine is indigenous to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, ranging from southeastern Virginia to central Florida and west to eastern Texas. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils and can be found below 660 feet in elevation. The tree is home to a variety of wildlife, including the bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and red-cockaded woodpecker.

The Longleaf Pine is a valuable timber species, having clear and straight wood used to make kraft paper and paperboard. Its resins are used to make paints, varnishes, medicines, lubricants, and fabric printing inks. The tree’s needles are often utilized as mulch.

The best stands of Longleaf Pine were reserved for the British Navy during colonial times because the timber was perfect for building masts and spars on sailing ships.

4. Loblolly Pine

• Common name: Loblolly Pine
• Scientific name: Pinus taeda L.
• Mature height: 100 feet
• Native range: Southern New Jersey to central Florida, west to southeastern Texas and southern Oklahoma, in Mississippi except for the Mississippi River Delta counties
• Cones: Yellow-green pollen cones in large compact clusters at the base of terminal buds.
• Uses: Wildlife habitat, timber for lumber, construction timbers, pulp, and plywood.

The Loblolly Pine is a tall evergreen tree that can reach heights of 100 feet. It has tough, flaky twigs and dark green needles that last three seasons. 

The tree has clusters of yellow-green pollen cones and pairs of pale-green ovulation cones. Mature cones have reddish-brown scales and a short, pointed spine. The tree’s seeds are winged. Loblolly Pines can be found from southern New Jersey to central Florida, and farther west to southeastern Texas and southern Oklahoma. 

They are vital for a variety of game species and serve as nesting areas for a variety of bird species. Timber from Loblolly Pines is used to make building materials and paper. They are also employed for shade, wind, and noise barriers, and soil stabilization in urban settings. Loblolly Pines are crucial to the ecology and may one day be exploited as a source of energy.

5. Slash Pine

• Common name: Slash Pine
• Scientific name: Pinus elliottii Engelm.
• Mature height: Up to 100 feet
• Native range: From Georgetown County, SC, south to central Florida, and west to Tangipahoa Parish, LA
• Cones: Purplish brown pollen cones and pinkish purple ovulate cones.
• Uses: Seeds are a food source for wildlife.

The Slash Pine is a tall evergreen tree that can grow to 100 feet tall. It features lustrous, dark green needles that are short, rigid, and straight. The twigs are thick and pale orange-brown. The buds have an elliptic-ovate form and a reddish-brown tint. 

The tree produces pinkish-purple ovulation cones and purplish-brown pollen cones. The adult cones measure 3.0-7.0 inches in length and have shiny tan scales. When young, the bark is dark reddish brown, and when mature, the bark is orange-brown with broad flat scaly plates.

The Slash Pine grows naturally in low-lying environments such as marshes, hammocks, and along streams. In abandoned fields, it is frequently invasive. It prefers soil with a fine to medium texture and a pH between 4.0 and 6.4. The tree is shade-intolerant, as well as drought, fire, and anaerobic environments.

The Slash Pine has a variety of applications. Its seeds provide nourishment for wildlife such as gray and fox squirrels and wild turkeys. The tree is also used in the naval stores sector, as it provides turpentine and rosin. Poles, railroad ties, and pilings are made from wood. Due to its quick early growth, the Slash Pine is also widely planted to anchor soil on eroding slopes and strip mine spoil banks.

6. Virginia Pine

• Common Name: Virginia Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus virginiana Mill.
• Mature Height: 70.0 feet
• Native Range: Southern New York to Southern Ohio and Indiana in the west, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi in the south, and Alabama and Georgia in the east.
• Cones: Yellow-green pollen cones, clusters of 2-8 ovulate cones, ovoid-conic mature cones.
• Uses: Christmas tree, wildlife habitat, pulpwood, lumber, and paneling.

Virginia Pine, also known as scrub pine, Jersey pine, or spruce pine, is an evergreen tree with pairs of yellowish-green needles. The needles are thick and twisted, and they remain on the tree for 3-4 seasons. The twigs are slim and light green, with a silky texture. The buds are sharply pointed and feature aromatic red-brown scales.

Virginia Pine cones are essential for reproduction. The pollen cones are small and yellow-green, whereas the ovulation cones grow in clusters and are 1.5-2.5 inches long. They have thin scales with strong prickles and can stay on the tree for 3-4 years. The winged, oval-shaped seeds have a light brown tint and a pebbly texture.

Virginia Pine trees can reach heights of 70 feet and grow at a quick rate. They can withstand drought and fire but not shade. They thrive on hard clays, sandy soils, and poor soils. Woodpeckers nest in the wood of older trees, and leaving damaged trees near clear-cuts gives nesting opportunities.

Virginia Pine timber is generally utilized for pulpwood, but older and larger trees can also be used for lumber and paneling. It’s also a popular Christmas tree material. 

Virginia Pine grows well on strip-mined sites and is good for spoil bank reclamation in the Southeast. Because of its quick growth and dense branching, it can also be used for landscaping, such as privacy hedges.

Even though the name says Virginia Pine, this is one of the most commonly found pine trees in Mississippi, especially in the southern region.

7. Sand Pine

• Common Name: Sand Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus clausa
• Mature Height: Up to 20-40 feet
• Native Range: Mississippi, southeastern United States
• Cones: Small, ovoid cones, about 1.5 to 2.5 inches long, with prickly scales
• Uses: Landscaping, erosion control, wildlife habitat, and timber production

The Sand Pine, formally known as Pinus clausa, is a beautiful native pine tree that may be found in Mississippi and other southeastern states. This pine species is well-known for its adaptability and versatility, making it an excellent choice for a variety of environmental restoration and landscaping projects.

The Sand Pine, which can reach a mature height of 20-40 feet, has slender, graceful branches decorated with vivid green needles that contrast well with the sandy soils in which it thrives. The petite, ovoid cones that are 1.5 to 2.5 inches long and with prickly scales that guard the valuable seeds within are one of its unique traits.

The Sand Pine is important for biodiversity because it offers key habitat and food source for many wildlife species, including birds and small mammals. Aside from its ecological importance, this pine species is appreciated for erosion prevention in coastal locations and is used in timber production for a variety of woodworking activities.

Sand pine is one of the least commonly found native pine trees in Mississippi, in a small region near the Florida border.

Common Pine trees In Mississippi – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s go through some of the most commonly asked questions related to native pine trees in Mississippi.

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Sources

The Regional Gardening team makes sure that the information in our articles is accurate by only using sources that are known to be trustworthy. Some of these sources are peer-reviewed journals from government agencies, well-known universities, and scientific research organizations.

1. Native Trees For Mississippi Landscapes, Mississippi State University Extension.
2. Mississippi Trees, Publications Of Mississippi Forestry Commission.
3. Department Of Plant & Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University Extension.
4. Tree Care, Mississippi Urban Forest Council.