Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 15-40' tall and 10-30' wide in the landscape, but over 90' tall in the wild. Broadly-open, pyramidal habit, becoming flat-topped and scrubby, and may have a gnarled, twisted trunk. Slow grower.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Native to Long Island, New York, southwestward to central Alabama, in the Appalachians, Ohio Valley, Piedmont, and part of the coastal plain regions Introduced before 1739.

Flower and Fruit Details

Monoecious flowers, male flowers are orange-brown, while the female flowers are pale green. Fruits in dark brown cones, solitary or in clusters of 2-4, 1.5-3.0" long by 1-1.25" wide, sharp to the touch due to prickles. Cones persist on tree for 8 years.

Leaf and Bark Features

Evergreen: Yellow-green to dark green needles in pairs, twisted, each 1.5-3.0" long. Needles may become off-color in winter. Young stems reddish-purple. Bark on trunk is thin and smooth, becoming scaly-plated, reddish-brown, up to 0.5" thick. May have a gnarled, twisted trunk.

Culture and Care

Best on acidic clay loam or sandy loam in an open, sunny exposure. Tolerates drought and poor, dry soils, including heavy clay. Dislikes shade and shallow, chalky soils. Zones 4-8. May be damaged by Diplodia tip blight fungus, pine wood nematodes, and the southern pine beetle.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Tough plant that grows where other pines will not, even on barren soils. Good wildlife value. 4-season interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Not very ornamentally attractive.

Suggested Uses

Not especially ornamental, but makes a good cover plant for dry, barren soils where other trees will not grow, especially evergreens.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA