Scotch Pine
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Grows to 30-60' tall and 30-40' wide, up to 90' tall in the wild. Irregular pyramidal habit in youth, with short, spreading branches, eventually becoming more picturesque, open, wide-spreading, and flat-topped or round-topped like an umbrella shape. Medium growth rate, slowing down as it ages.

Native Range

One of the most widely distributed pines, with a native range from Norway and Scotland to Spain, the British Isles, western Asia and northeastern Siberia. Naturalized in some places in the New England states. Long cultivated.

Flower and Fruit Details

Monoecious flowers. Fruits in gray-brown cones, 1.5-3.0" long, falling at maturity.

Leaf and Bark Features

Evergreen: Needles in pairs, twisted, 1-4" long, glaucous, blue-green in color. Needle sheaths 0.25-0.38" long. Needles may change to yellow-green in the winter. Notable Bark: Thin, papery, orange, exfoliating bark is showy, increasing in beauty as you look higher up on the trunk and higher branches. Bark on lower trunk is thicker, grayish or reddish-brown, fissured into irregular, longitudinal, scaly plates.

Culture and Care

Needs full sun and will grow on a variety of soils as long as they are acidic and well-drained. Tolerates poor soils and some clay. Tolerates drought and dry sites. Does not grow well in shade or poorly-drained, wet areas. Zones 3-7. Various fungal disease problems, plus pine wilt nematodes and sawflies.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 4-season interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.

Suggested Uses

Makes a good specimen plant, or in mass plantings. Good for waste lands.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA