What trees produce yellow pollen? Every spring, yellow dust begins to float around the cities freely. This yellow dust can cause severe pollen allergies like coughing, sneezing, and asthma.

What Trees Produce Yellow Pollen

Some people have it worse than others because this yellow dust affects people differently. If you have ever wondered where this yellow sprinkle comes from, keep reading.

A List of Trees That Could Be Producing Yellow-Colored Pollen

1. Loblolly Pine Trees

Unfiltered sunlight for Loblolly Pine Trees

Native area
  • Southeastern United States 
Size
  • 60 to 90 feet
USDA growing zones
  • Zones six and nine
Sun needs
  • Needs full sun
  • Unfiltered sunlight is best

The loblolly pine is one of the most common pine trees to produce this yellow-colored pine pollen. The loblolly pine, the second-most prevalent tree in the country after the red maple, is regarded as having the most valuable commercial timber in the Southeast. It is a big, quickly-growing pine that can be identified from other pines by the way its needles are arranged, their size, and how sticky they are.

The loblolly’s three-bunched, five-to-eight-inch needles are long. While not harmful, pine needles are occasionally used to produce therapeutic teas. However, you should not take them in large numbers. Loblolly pine trees are typically planted during their dormant season, which runs from November to March.

The loblolly pine can adapt well and requires not too much maintenance. The tree needs frequent hydration, wet soil, and full or partial light. The loblolly pine does not require fertilization or pruning unless it has nutritional deficiencies. However, a small amount of fertilizing can safeguard the tree in preparation for winter. 

Sometimes, tree health can be improved by lightly cutting low-hanging, unhealthy branches. The tree is vulnerable to illnesses and pests that affect all evergreen plants. Keep an eye out for symptoms of infestation or broken needles in your loblolly pine. When do pine trees release pollen? Loblolly pine pollen is released every few weeks in the spring. 

2. Aleppo Pines

Aleppo Pines known as the Jerusalem pine

Native Area
  • Mediterranean region
Size
  • 60 feet 
USDA growing zones
  • Zones nine and 10 
Sun needs
  • Full sun
  • Very heat/drought-tolerant even in sunny areas

The Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine (Pinus halepensis), is a lovely, drought-tolerant evergreen conifer that has flourished in hot, arid climates. It is a deciduous conifer related to fir, spruce, cedar, hemlock, and larches. It is occasionally planted as a living Christmas tree. It is frequently grown for screening or as an attractive specimen. As it ages, the conical form’s youthful openness and irregularity increase.

This medium-sized tree, with its orange-red bark and cones, can grow up to one foot every year and reach a full size of 20 to 50 feet tall and a similar spread. The growth circumstances determine the final size. The ideal time to plant it is in the late summer. Tree pollen season for this species is around spring.

The tree has invasive characteristics that should be considered because it can generate numerous long-viable seeds that spread quickly in winds. Aleppo pine trees don’t need much upkeep. They will probably keep growing if they receive direct sunlight. They can withstand dryness, salt spray, and strong winds and grow in most types of soil.

When buying an Aleppo pine as a living Christmas tree, pick a spot and prepare the hole in advance to be ready when the holiday season is finished. The tree expands quickly and needs a large amount of room. Before putting the tree outdoors, move it back and forth around the house over time to harden it off and prevent shock. If your yard is too small, make arrangements in advance to donate it to a nearby park.

3. Black Alder 

Black Alder Can tolerate partial shade

Native to
  • Europe 
Size
  • 30 to 80 feet 
USDA growing zones
  • Zones three and seven
Sun needs
  • Full sun
  • Can tolerate partial shade 

The dark gray bark of mature trees gives the black alder its common name. Alnus glutinosa, the tree’s Latin name, gives you a hint that it produces sticky resin on its young leaves and buds. Be aware that in some situations, this type of alder has the potential to spread. Look for the cultivars “Laciniata” and “Imperialis” if you appreciate the appearance of leaves that have been dissected (split into several portions).

The majority of Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean region and eastward into the Caucasus and Ural Mountains, is covered in black alder. Although it can be found along watercourses up to 5900 feet in the highlands of central Europe, it typically grows below elevations of 3200 feet. 

Alders can withstand a broad range of temperatures, but they need a good deal of water to grow. Alders thrive in marshy, waterlogged areas, along riverbanks and lakeshores, and on plateaus with high soil moisture content because their roots are well adapted to extremely wet soils.

Alder trees have a tendency to accumulate a lot of pollen that they spread into the air. One must be careful, especially around the black alder tree. Fortunately, this happens in spring, so you don’t have to worry about yellow pollen in fall (some herbaceous plants release pollen in the fall).

4. Gray Alder 

Gray Alder Needs total sun exposure

Native area
  • Europe 
  • North America
Size
  • 20 to 35 feet
USDA growing zones
  • Zones two and six
Sun needs
  • Needs total sun exposure 

This species, otherwise known as alder or mountain alder, is frequently found in North America’s Rocky Mountains. The underside of the leaves on these alder trees are silvery and the bark is smooth and gray. This tree features reddish-purple catkins that emerge each spring, unlike the majority of other alder trees, which have yellow catkins.

A multi-stemmed shrub or tiny, transient deciduous tree, the gray alder (Alnus incana) is a common plant. It is indigenous to considerable portions of northern and central Europe and is present across the northern hemisphere. 

Gray alder is known for producing some of the harshest tree pollen. Usually around spring, when it is prime pollen season, the gray alder begins producing more and more of it. The good news is that it doesn’t produce yellow pollen in September, so after the end of spring, you won’t have trouble with allergies caused by this tree.

Gray alder wood is mainly used for firewood and has little commercial value. It is also infrequently used for woodturning and carpentry. However, because of its quick growth, the species may be advantageous for the creation of biomass. It has additionally proven helpful in reforestation initiatives due to its capacity to swiftly recover and colonize disturbed regions. 

The gray alder, like other alders, has the capacity to fix nitrogen, making it valuable for enhancing the soil quality in contaminated areas. Gray alder thrives in damp environments and is most common in riparian regions like river banks and marshes.

5. Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine has blue-green needles

Native area
  • Canada 
Size
  • 50 to 80 feet 
USDA growing zones
  • Zones three and eight 
Sun needs
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade 

The eastern white pine is the largest native conifer to eastern North America, despite the higher trees on the West Coast. This evergreen with long, velvety, blue-green needles is frequently found from northern Georgia to Newfoundland, a range that covers growth zones three to eight. This enormous creature may reach heights of 80 feet and widths of 40 feet. The pyramidal curve of the tree is beautiful and rounded. 

It can be pruned into hedges and serves admirably as a windbreak and shade tree. The boughs are frequently used in outdoor Christmas decorations employing greenery, and the branches are treasured for crafts and decorations. Once you understand how to make decorations, pine cones are also useful. 

This tree grows reasonably easily in medium moisture and well-drained soil with an acidic pH. It thrives in full sun in cooler climes but prefers some shade in hotter ones. Clay soils that are compacted will not support eastern white pine. It also dislikes scorching climates and cities with ozone and sulfur dioxide pollution.

You should note this pine tree pollen is also one of the harshest ones. It can cause severe sneezing and coughing, just to name a few. Allergy season usually begins in early springtime. When does the yellow pollen stop? While it’s hard to say an exact timeline, from mid summer, it’s probably safe to be around it. 

However, when it comes to yellow pine pollen, testosterone is the thing that everyone is talking about. It appears that this pollen is very rich in testosterone, and methods are being developed to extract it.

6. White Ash

White Ash known as the Biltmore ash 

Native area
  • North America 
Size
  • 50 to 80 feet 
USDA growing zones
  • Zones four and nine
Sun needs
  • Full sun 

The fact that white ash is one of the most widespread ash trees in the United States also means that it has also been severely impacted by the emerald ash borer. The giant native ash tree, sometimes known as the Biltmore ash, is pyramidal in shape and gradually acquires a fully rounded crown with age. In older trees, the gray bark develops a characteristic pattern of diamond-shaped ridges.

The biggest and most crucial ash species is the white ash (Fraxinus americana). The opposing, complex leaves of white ash have between five and nine leaflets (usually seven). Individual leaflets range in length from two to six inches, while the leaves themselves are eight to 12 inches long. 

White ash trees are known for inducing some of the worst allergy symptoms. Most people with tree allergies are commonly affected by the ash tree.  

The stalks of the leaflets are one-fourth to one-half inch long, and the margins are mostly toothless or only marginally toothed. The lower surfaces are hairless and light green, while the higher surfaces are glossy and dark green. Twigs have a moderate diameter, are gray or brown in color, and have prominent, half-round leaf scars with a v-shaped notch on top. The fruit is a samara that resembles a paddle.

Conclusion

There you have it, folks. Since pine trees are some of the most common trees to produce yellow tree pollen, you can find a list of different types and what they are like.

Keep in mind:

  • White ash trees will change color according to the season.
  • Eastern white pines need plenty of space to grow because they can get huge. So unless you have the space to accommodate them, don’t plant these.
  • Loblolly pines are some of the most common pine trees to produce pollen allergy because of how much pollen they produce and release.
  • You’re unlikely to be affected by yellow pollen in October, as this is the month when most vegetation goes dormant.

So, which of these trees will you be looking out for? 

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