Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
Updated March 4th, 2024A pine native to the southeastern US, favoring moist bottomlands, also widely planted in forestry.
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A pine native to the southeastern US, favoring moist bottomlands, also widely planted in forestry.
An evergreen conifer native to acidic, sandy wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
A distinctive tree with star-shaped leaves and hard, spiky fruits. Native to southeastern North America where it tends to be found on moist to wet sites.
Lowlands in Alaska around a body of water opening to the Pacific, and the region in which Anchorage is located.
Mountains in southcentral Alaska reaching to the highest elevations in North America, but interrupted by many larger valleys.
A cold, flat, poorly-drained region in Southcentral Alaska, surrounded by ice-covered mountains.
These closely-related species are visually similar and can occur together in the same habitats, tend to bloom around the same time, and their flowers are nearly indistinguishable. E. annuus favors moister, more disturbed habitats with richer soil, and tolerates more shade, whereas E. strigosus ranges farther west and south, prefers drier, sunnier, slightly less disturbed habitats, and is more tolerant of alkaline soil.
These two species only overlap in the wild in a small part of New England, but both are widely planted in landscaping. Both have scale-like foliage and seed cones releasing wind-dispersed seeds. They can be told apart by their foliage arrangement, density, and color, seed cones, and shape. Some trees can be distinguished by bark. Both prefer moist conditions, but Atlantic white cedar is more restricted to wetlands. The two species have no overlap in soil pH, with Atlantic white cedar limited to sites with acidic soils (pH <5.5), whereas Northern White Cedar is most likely on more calcium-rich soils (pH > 5.5.)
These two species are easily confused where their ranges overlap, especially on mature trees with scalelike foliage. They can be told apart easily by closely examining their seed cones, and by bark, shape, and foliage color. Although they can occur near each other, they have little habitat overlap by specific site. Redcedar is much more common and widely adaptable, and prefers drier sites. Atlantic white cedar is limited to acidic wetlands. Both are occasional in landscaping.