What pine is this?

roberthu

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I am in Atlanta GA. There a lot of this pine around my house and I am wondering if it is a commonly used species for bonsai. Some needle clusters have 3 needles while others have 4. All on the same tree. I took some photos of a seedling (guessing 2 years old) hoping someone can help me identify it.
Thanks.
 

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Wires_Guy_wires

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If the pine smell is mixed with cheese, than it's probably a pinus strobus, eastern white pine. I wouldn't mention it if it wasn't so peculiar.
If you can see a kind of pinstripe on the needle, it is a strobus. Most 'strobus' pines (longaeva, EWP, JWP) have a pinstripe like that. Both longaeva and JWP have smaller needles though. That's why I think EWP.
 

penumbra

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It looks a bit like strobus, but that is a 5 needle pine. Pinus rigida or pitch pine is our native 3 needle pine. It makes decent bonsdai and its range is east coast from Maine through Georgia.
 

roberthu

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Thanks. I did do some research online and I don’t think it’s an EWP for reason mentioned by penumbra: the needle count doesn’t really match.
Based on my search it’s likely a pitch pine or loblolly pine but can’t be sure.
 

penumbra

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Looking closely I am certain it is Loblolly pine due to the very slight twist of the long needles. I really should have caught that.
I have already been chastised recently for stating my opinion on other issues here, but Loblolly is going to be tough to bonsai whereas Pitch pine is pretty easy. I remember taking care of a small azalea farm in Richmond under loblolly pines. The azaleas did great but the pines looked like telephone poles with greenery way up there.
Oh well, you work with what you have or move on.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Looking closely I am certain it is Loblolly pine due to the very slight twist of the long needles. I really should have caught that.
I have already been chastised recently for stating my opinion on other issues here, but Loblolly is going to be tough to bonsai whereas Pitch pine is pretty easy. I remember taking care of a small azalea farm in Richmond under loblolly pines. The azaleas did great but the pines looked like telephone poles with greenery way up there.
Oh well, you work with what you have or move on.
@garywood has had good success growing loblolly, treating them like JBP. Really, most pines under ideal conditions are going to grow like telephone poles, it’s up to us to change that!
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Thank you! I assume it is a multi flush pine then?
He does treat them like JBP, so yes.
What kind of pine is that in the background? Possible it’s offspring of that?
I was thinking the same thing, but the one in the foreground has 3 needles per fascicle, and in this area, that’s most likely loblolly. Can’t tell what the one is in the background.
 

PA_Penjing

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P. taeda is the second most common tree on the east coast. They'll produce 3 pushes (not technically "flushes") of growth up here, I'm sure in Georgia you'll get 4. Very fun tree to watch grow. And just to flog the dead horse it is very definitely not EWP
 

roberthu

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P. taeda is the second most common tree on the east coast. They'll produce 3 pushes (not technically "flushes") of growth up here, I'm sure in Georgia you'll get 4. Very fun tree to watch grow. And just to flog the dead horse it is very definitely not EWP
Wow thank you for confirming that. Now it makes sense why it is pushing another flush on its own. I didn’t think that was even possible...
 
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