Pinus taeda

Last updated

Pinus taeda
Loblolly Pines South Mississippi.JPG
Characteristic appearance of loblolly pines, south Mississippi, USA
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pinus
Subgenus: P. subg. Pinus
Section: P. sect. Trifoliae
Subsection: P. subsect. Australes
Species:
P. taeda
Binomial name
Pinus taeda
Pinus taeda distribution map.png
Natural range of loblolly pine

Pinus taeda, commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. [2] The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. [3] U.S. Forest Service surveys found that loblolly pine is the second-most common species of tree in the United States, after red maple. [4] For its timber, the pine species is regarded as the most commercially important tree in the Southeastern U.S. [5] [6] [7] The common name loblolly is given because the pine species is found mostly in lowlands and swampy areas. [8]

Contents

Loblolly pine is the first among over 100 species of Pinus to have its complete genome sequenced. As of March 2014, it was the organism having the largest sequenced genome size. Its genome, with 22 billion base pairs, is seven times larger than that of humans. [9] [10] As of 2018, assembly of the axolotl genome (32Gb) displaced loblolly pine as the largest assembled genome. [11] The loblolly pine was selected as the official state tree of Arkansas in 1939. [12]

Description

Loblolly pine can reach a height of 30–35 meters (98–115 feet) with a diameter of 0.4–1.5 m (1.3–4.9 ft). Exceptional specimens may reach 50 m (160 ft) tall, the largest of the southern pines. Its needles are in bundles (fascicles) of three, sometimes twisted, and measure 12–22 centimeters (4+3⁄4–8+3⁄4 inches) long, an intermediate length for southern pines, shorter than those of the longleaf pine or slash pine, but longer than those of the shortleaf pine and spruce pine. The needles usually last up to two years before they fall, which gives the species its evergreen character. [13] Needles are yellowish-green to grayish green. [13]

Although some needles fall throughout the year due to severe weather, insect damage, and drought, most needles fall during the autumn and winter of their second year. The seed cones are green, ripening pale buff-brown, 7–13 cm (2+3⁄4–5 in) in length, 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) broad when closed, opening to 4–6 cm (1+1⁄2–2+1⁄4 in) wide, each scale bearing a sharp spine 3 to 6 millimeters (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long. [2] [14]

Bark is reddish brown and deeply fissured into irregular, broad, scaly plates on older trees. Branches are reddish-brown to dark yellowish brown. [13]

Loblolly pines are one of the fastest growing pines making it a valuable species in the lumber industry. The lumber marketed as yellow pine lumber and similar usage to other southern pines such as the more stronger Longleaf and Shortleaf pines. They are also used as pulpwood. [13] It grows at an average of 2 feet per year. [15] The tallest loblolly pine currently known, which is 51.4 m (169 ft) tall, and the largest, which measures 42 cubic meters (1,500 cubic feet) in volume, are in Congaree National Park. [16]

Etymology and taxonomy

The word "loblolly" is a combination of "lob", referring to thick, heavy bubbling of cooking porridge, and "lolly", an old British dialect word for "broth, soup, or any other food boiled in a pot". In the southern United States, the word is used to mean "a mudhole; a mire," a sense derived from an allusion to the consistency of porridge. Hence, the pine is named as it is generally found in lowlands and swampy areas. [8] Loblolly pines grow well in acidic clay soil, which is common throughout the South, thus are often found in large stands in rural places.

Other old names, now rarely used, include oldfield pine due to its status as an early colonizer of abandoned fields; bull pine due to its size (several other yellow pines are also often so named, especially large isolated specimens); rosemary pine due to loblolly's distinctive fragrance compared to the other southern pines; and North Carolina pine. [17] [13]

For the scientific name, Pinus is the Latin name for the pines and taeda refers to the resinous wood. [18]

Ecology

With the advent of wildfire suppression, loblolly pine has become prevalent in some parts of the Deep South that were once dominated by longleaf pine and, especially in northern Florida, slash pine. [19]

Its rate of growth is rapid, even among the generally fast-growing southern pines. The yellowish, resinous wood is prized for lumber, but is also used for wood pulp. This tree is commercially grown in extensive plantations. [3]

Loblolly pine is the pine of the Lost Pines Forest around Bastrop, Texas, and in McKinney Roughs Nature Park along the Texas Colorado River. These are isolated populations on areas of acidic sandy soil, surrounded by alkaline clays that are poor for pine growth.

A study using loblolly pines showed that higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels may help the trees to endure ice storms better. [20]

Notable trees

The famous "Eisenhower Tree" on the 17th hole of Augusta National Golf Club was a loblolly pine. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, an Augusta National member, hit the tree so many times that at a 1956 club meeting, he proposed that it be cut down. Not wanting to offend the President, the club's chairman, Clifford Roberts, immediately adjourned the meeting rather than reject the request outright. In February 2014, an ice storm severely damaged the Eisenhower Tree. The opinion of arborists was that the tree could not be saved and should be removed, which it subsequently was. [21]

The "Morris Pine" is located in southeastern Arkansas; it is over 300 years old with a diameter of 142 cm (56 in) and a height of 35.7 m (117 ft). [22]

Loblolly pine seeds were carried aboard the Apollo 14 flight. On its return, the seeds were planted in several locations in the US, including the grounds of the White House. As of 2016, a number of these moon trees remain alive. [23]

Genome

Pines are the most common conifers and the genus Pinus consists of more than 100 species. Sequencing of their genomes remained a huge challenge because of the high complexity and size. [24] Loblolly pine became the first species with its complete genome sequenced. [9] [25] This was the largest genome assembled until 2018, when the axolotl genome (32Gb) was assembled. [11]

The loblolly pine genome is made up of 22.18 billion base pairs, which is more than seven times that of humans. [10] Conifer genomes are known to be full of repetitive DNA, which make up 82% of the genome in loblolly pine (compared to only 50% in humans). The number of genes is estimated at 50,172, of which 15,653 are already confirmed. Most of the genes are duplicates. Some genes have the longest introns observed among fully sequenced plant genomes. [26]

Inbreeding depression

Gymnosperms are predominantly outcrossing, but lack genetic self-incompatibility. Loblolly pine, like most gymnosperms, exhibits high levels of inbreeding depression, especially in the embryonic stage. The loblolly pine harbors an average load of at least eight lethal equivalents. [27] A lethal equivalent is the number of deleterious genes per haploid genome whose cumulative effect is the equivalent of one lethal gene. The presence of at least eight lethal equivalents implies substantial inbreeding depression upon self-fertilization.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine</span> Genus of plants in the conifer family Pinaceae

A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae. Pinus is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conifer</span> Group of cone-bearing seed plants

Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta, also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth. The great majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Examples include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. As of 2002, Pinophyta contained seven families, 60 to 65 genera, and more than 600 living species.

<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> Species of conifer

Pinus sylvestris, the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gymnosperm</span> Clade of non-flowering, naked-seeded vascular plants

The gymnosperms are a group of woody, perennial seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae The term gymnosperm comes from the composite word in Greek: γυμνόσπερμος, and literally means 'naked seeds'. The name is based on the unenclosed condition of their seeds. The non-encased condition of their seeds contrasts with the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms), which are enclosed within an ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface of scales or leaves, which are often modified to form cones, or on their own as in yew, Torreya, and Ginkgo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western white pine</span> Pine tree found in North America

Western white pine, also called silver pine and California mountain pine, is a species of pine in the family Pinaceae. It occurs in mountain ranges of northwestern North America and is the state tree of Idaho.

<i>Pinus lambertiana</i> Pine tree found in North America

Pinus lambertiana is the tallest and most massive pine tree and has the longest cones of any conifer. It is native to coastal and inland mountain areas along the Pacific coast of North America, as far north as Oregon and as far south as Baja California in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longleaf pine</span> Species of plant (tree)

The longleaf pine is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as "yellow pine" or "long leaf yellow pine", although it is properly just one out of a number of species termed yellow pine. It reaches a height of 30–35 m (98–115 ft) and a diameter of 0.7 m (28 in). In the past, before extensive logging, they reportedly grew to 47 m (154 ft) with a diameter of 1.2 m (47 in). The tree is a cultural symbol of the Southern United States, being the official state tree of Alabama. This particular species is one of the eight pine tree species that falls under the "Pine" designation as the state tree of North Carolina.

<i>Pinus rigida</i> Species of pine tree

Pinus rigida, the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuitable for growth, such as acidic, sandy, and low-nutrient soils.

<i>Pinus serotina</i> Species of conifer

Pinus serotina, the pond pine, black bark pine, bay pine,marsh pine, or pocosin pine, is a pine tree found along the Southeastern portion of the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. Pond pine distribution may be starting to spread west towards Mississippi and Tennessee.

<i>Pinus echinata</i> Species of conifer

The shortleaf pine or Pinus echinata is a species of coniferous tree endemic to the United States. The shortleaf pine is sometimes referred to as the "old field", "spruce", "rosemary", "yellow", "two-leaf" and "heart" pine. The common name "shortleaf pine" may refer to other species like loblolly pine, based on a custom in the Southeastern United States to only refer to pines as either "long-leaf" or "short-leaf". However, P. echinata can be distinguished from other pines by examining its short leaves and small cones.

<i>Pinus elliottii</i> Species of conifer tree

Pinus elliottii, commonly known as slash pine, is a conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States. Slash pine is named after the "slashes" – swampy ground overgrown with trees and bushes – that constitute its habitat. Other common names include swamp pine, yellow slash pine, and southern Florida pine. Slash pine has two different varieties: P. e. var. elliottii and P. e. var. densa. Historically, slash pine has been an important economic timber for naval stores, turpentine, and resin. The wood of slash pine is known for its unusually high strength, especially for a pine. It exceeds many hardwoods and is even comparable to very dense woods such as black ironwood.

<i>Pinus ponderosa</i> Species of large pine tree in North America

Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the most widely distributed pine species in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocosin</span> Kind of wetland of the Atlantic plain

Pocosin is a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils. Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts. Pocosin soils are nutrient-deficient (oligotrophic), especially in phosphorus.

<i>Pinus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> sondereggeri</i> Species of conifer

Pinus × sondereggeri is the only named southern pine hybrid. Its common names include Sonderegger pine and bastard pine. It is a naturally occurring cross between loblolly pine (P. taeda) and longleaf pine (P. palustris). It was originally described by H. H. Chapman (1922), who named it after its discoverer, V. H. Sonderegger, a state forester of Louisiana. This pine usually occurs singly or in small groups where both loblolly and longleaf pines overlap in range. Because both parental trees usually produce cones at the same time of year, no phenological barrier exists, thus the two freely cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Pines Forest</span> Forest

The Lost Pines Forest is a 13-mile (21 km) belt of loblolly pines in the U.S. state of Texas, near the town of Bastrop. The stand of pines is unique in Texas because it is a disjunct population of trees that is more than 100 miles (160 km) separated from, and yet closely genetically related to, the vast expanse of pine trees of the Piney Woods region that covers parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern conifer forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The Southeastern conifer forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the southeastern United States. It is the largest conifer forest ecoregion east of the Mississippi River. It is also the southernmost instance of temperate coniferous forest within the Nearctic realm.

Both naturally and artificially occurring pine species (Pinus) can hybridize, combining their genetic material and sometimes creating hybrids that can be more or less vigorous than their parent species. An example of a naturally occurring hybrid pine is Pinus × sondereggeri, a naturally occurring cross between loblolly pine and longleaf pine. An example of the many artificial hybrids is Pinus lambertiana × P. armandii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Experimental Forest</span> Mississippi experimental forest facility

Harrison Experimental Forest is an experimental forest facility operated by the Southern Research Station (SRS) of the United States Forest Service in Harrison County, Mississippi. The experimental forest is located within the De Soto National Forest about 25 mi (40 km) north of Gulfport, Mississippi off Old Mississippi Highway 67.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palustris Experimental Forest</span> Experimental forest in Louisiana, USA

Palustris Experimental Forest is an experimental forest operated by the Southern Research Station (SRS) of the United States Forest Service in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It is located south of Alexandria, Louisiana within the Kisatchie National Forest. The experimental forest bears the name of the predominant pine species that covered this region before the virgin pine forests were harvested in the early 1900s.

References

  1. ↑ Farjon, A. (2013). "Pinus taeda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T42420A2978958. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42420A2978958.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Kral, Robert (1993). "Pinus taeda". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  3. 1 2 Baker, James B.; Langdon, 0. Gordon (1990). "Pinus taeda". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Conifers. Silvics of North America. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Nix, Steve. "Ten Most Common Trees in the United States". About.com Forestry. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Loblolly Pine". Plant Information Center. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Loblolly pine". Virginia Tech Forestry Department. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Loblolly Pine". Tree Improvement Programme. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  8. 1 2 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000.
  9. 1 2 Zimin, Aleksey; Stevens, Kristian; et al. (Mar 2014). "Sequencing and Assembly of the 22-Gb Loblolly Pine Genome". Genetics. 196 (3): 875–890. doi:10.1534/genetics.113.159715. PMC   3948813 . PMID   24653210.
  10. 1 2 Main, Douglas (20 March 2014). "Scientists Sequence The Largest Genome To Date". Popular Science. A Bonnier Corporation Company. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  11. 1 2 Eugene W. Myers, Sergej Nowoshilow (2018). "The axolotl genome and the evolution of key tissue formation regulators". Nature. 554 (7690): 50–55. Bibcode:2018Natur.554...50N. doi: 10.1038/nature25458 . hdl: 21.11116/0000-0003-F659-4 . PMID   29364872.
  12. ↑ "47 Arkansas Facts". Meet The USA. 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Grimm, William Carey (1966). The Book of Trees. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stockpole Company. p. 48.
  14. ↑ Farjon, A. (2005). Pines: Drawings and Descriptions of the Genus Pinus, ed.2. Brill, Leiden ISBN   90-04-13916-8.
  15. ↑ Gonzalez-Benecke, C. A., Martin, T. A., Clark, A. I., & Peter, G. F. (2010). Water availability and genetic effects on wood properties of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 40(12), 2265–2277. https://doi.org/10.1139/X10-162
  16. ↑ Earle, Christopher J., ed. (2018). "Pinus taeda". The Gymnosperm Database.
  17. ↑ Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Tufts, Craig; Mathews, Daniel; Nelson, Gil; Spellenberg, Richard; Thieret, John W.; Purinton, Terry; Block, Andrew (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling. p. 73. ISBN   978-1-4027-3875-3.
  18. ↑ "Oklahoma Biological Survey: Pinus taeda L." Archived from the original on 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  19. ↑ Richardson, D. M., & Rundel, P. W. (1998). Ecology and biogeography of Pinus: an introduction. Pages 3–46 in Richardson, D. M., ed. Ecology and biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge University Press ISBN   0-521-55176-5.
  20. ↑ Greenhouse Gas Good for Some Trees - LiveScience.com
  21. ↑ Boyette, John (February 16, 2014). "Masters landmark Ike's Tree suffers major damage, removed". The Augusta Chronicle . Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  22. ↑ Bragg, Don C. "The Morris Pine" (PDF). Bulletin of the Eastern Native Tree Society. Volume 1 (Summer 2006): 20. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  23. ↑ Williams, David R. (28 July 2009). "The "Moon Trees"". Goddard Space Flight Center . NASA . Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  24. ↑ Neves, Leandro G.; Davis, John M.; Barbazuk, William B.; Kirst, Matias (2013). "Whole-exome targeted sequencing of the uncharacterized pine genome". The Plant Journal. 75 (1): 146–156. doi: 10.1111/tpj.12193 . PMID   23551702.
  25. ↑ Neale, David B; et al. (Mar 2014). "Decoding the massive genome of loblolly pine using haploid DNA and novel assembly strategies". Genome Biology. 15 (3): R59. doi: 10.1186/gb-2014-15-3-r59 . PMC   4053751 . PMID   24647006.
  26. ↑ Wegrzyn, J. L.; Liechty, J. D.; Stevens, K. A.; Wu, L.-S.; Loopstra, C. A.; Vasquez-Gross, H. A.; Dougherty, W. M.; Lin, B. Y.; Zieve, J. J.; Martinez-Garcia, P. J.; Holt, C.; Yandell, M.; Zimin, A. V.; Yorke, J. A.; Crepeau, M. W.; Puiu, D.; Salzberg, S. L.; de Jong, P. J.; Mockaitis, K.; Main, D.; Langley, C. H.; Neale, D. B. (2014). "Unique Features of the Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) Megagenome Revealed Through Sequence Annotation". Genetics. 196 (3): 891–909. doi:10.1534/genetics.113.159996. PMC   3948814 . PMID   24653211.
  27. ↑ Remington DL, O'Malley DM (2000). "Whole-genome characterization of embryonic stage inbreeding depression in a selfed loblolly pine family". Genetics. 155 (1): 337–48. doi:10.1093/genetics/155.1.337. PMC   1461072 . PMID   10790407.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.