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Pinus virginiana
Pinus virginiana Mill.
Virginia Pine, Jersey Pine, Scrub Pine
Pinaceae (Pine Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: pivi2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)
Virginia pine is a straggling, scrubby evergreen, usually 15-40 ft. tall, becoming flat-topped with age. Outstretched limbs spring irregularly from the reddish-brown trunk. Cones are sharp to the touch due to prickly-like appendages. Short-needled tree with open, broad, irregular crown of long spreading branches; often a shrub.
Used principally for pulpwood and lumber, it is hardier than most pines and suitable for planting in poor dry sites. Common in old fields as a pioneer after grasses on hills of the Piedmont, growing rapidly and forming thickets. Later this pine is replaced by taller, more valuable hardwoods.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Fascicled
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 55 feet tall, often shorter.
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Reddish brown
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Yellow , BrownBloom Time: Apr
Bloom Notes: Flowers inconspicuous. Pollen cones reddish brown to yellow.
Distribution
USA: AL , DC , DE , GA , IN , KY , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WVNative Distribution: Long Island to PA & s. IN, s. to GA & n.e. MS
Native Habitat: Areas of poor, light soil in mountains and old fields
Growing Conditions
Water Use: LowLight Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Poor, well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: The species is valuable as cover for dry, barren sites. It dislikes shallow, chalky soils and is not tolerant of over-topping by other trees.
Benefit
Use Wildlife: Seeds are an important wildlife food.Attracts: Birds
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) Larval Host |
Propagation
Description: Propagate by seed.Seed Treatment: Pretreatment is usually not necessary, but germination of pine seeds exhibiting dormancy can be hastened by cold stratification.
Commercially Avail: yes
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Georgia Native Plant Society - Atlanta, GA
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE
Bibliography
Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Additional resources
USDA: Find Pinus virginiana in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Pinus virginiana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Pinus virginiana
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-10-07Research By: TWC Staff