A large, coniferous tree in the pine family, the loblolly pine is the second most common tree in the United States and is the state tree of Arkansas. The loblolly pine is native to the southeastern United States, with its native range reaching down into Florida and up into DC and Maryland. Growing best in lowlands and swampy areas, it can reach up to 169 ft tall under the right conditions. (This record breaker is in Congaree National Park, South Carolina.) It is one of the fastest-growing species of pine, making the loblolly pine invaluable to the lumber industry and a popular choice for commercial planting. The wood is resinous and yellow in color, and it is typically used as construction timber (for small to large-scale projects), but is also pulped for other purposes, such as paper.
The Eisenhower Tree at Augusta Golf Course was a loblolly pine. President Eisenhower hit the tree so many times as he was playing in 1956 that he wanted to have it cut down. It was removed in 2014 after extreme damage from an ice storm.
Loblolly pine seeds were taken to the moon on Apollo 14. They were planted upon their return to Earth, one being placed at the White House, although it has since died and been removed.
Up until recently, the loblolly pine was the longest DNA genome decoded at 22 billion base pairs. It was overtaken in 2014 by the sequencing of Axolotl DNA.
FAMILY: Pinaceae
NATIVE STATUS: Native
NATIVE RANGE: Southeastern United States
FOLIAGE: Deciduous
MAX. HEIGHT: 169 ft.
MAX. AGE: 300 yrs.
Stop #17 on the Congressional Tree Walk
