Pinus taeda
Tall, straight trunk, loosely pyramidal when young, dense oval crown at maturity as it loses its lower branches
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Needles: dark yellow-green needles, in bundles of three, 6″-10″ long with 1″ long sheaths, finely-toothed, stiff and slender, drop during the tree’s third year
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Cones: rusty brown, 3-6” long, stalkless, in groups of 1-3, sharply-spined scales, triangular recurved spine
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Flowers: monoecious (both male and female flowers on a tree)
Male flowers: catkins in clusters at the tip of the preceding year’s growth,
1.0 to 1.5 in in length, from light green to red and yellow
Female flower (Spring cones): form on the new year’s growth, yellow to purple, generally ovoid, from 0.4 to 0.6 in long
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