General Description

Pinus virginiana is a scrubby evergreen tree with yellow / green, flexible needles and long, horizontal branches and a relatively short trunk covered with orange-red bark.

Landscape

A relatively fast growth rate makes it very good for reforestation where clear cutting or fire has occurred.

Cultivation

Grows best in clay, loam or sandy soils with a pH of 4.5 - 7.5. Suited to well drained soils and less tolerant of wet sites. It is very drought and salt tolerant and grows well in course to medium textured soils.

Shape

The crown shape is round with irregular uniformity making it fairly sparse and unsightly.

Growth

Medium

ID Characteristic

Younger trees have orange-brown bark covered with thin scaly plates that turns orange-red and more rigid as the tree matures.

Pests

No serious pests or diseases of note.

Habitat

Grows naturally in poor, dry soils at elevations of 15 - 760 m. Does not grow well in shallow, chalky soils with too much water. It can be found growing in abandoned farmlands and in places where forest fires have occurred.

Bark/Stem Description

Young bark is smooth and reddish in colour that matures into shaggy, scaly textured, brown-orange bark that tends to be quite thick.

Flower/Leaf Bud Description

Conical and acuminate with dark brown, resinous scales ranging from 0.8 - 1.3 cm in length.

Leaf Description

There are two needles per fascicle in a dark grayish-green colour. They range from 4.1 - 7.1 cm in length and are rigid and often twisted.

Flower Description

Monoecious with male flowers yellow and cylindrical and female flowers yellow-red and curved.

Fruit Description

Range from 3.8 - 6.4 cm in length with conical to ovoid cones covered in brown-red scales.

Colour Description

Foliage stays green throughout the seasons. The fruit is brown and twigs have a reddish colour.

Texture Description

Tends to be a finely textured tree in the early stages, becoming more rough and scaly as it matures.

Notable Specimens

The Arnold Arboretum, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England.

Propagation

By seed: cold stratification is required as well as soaking for 24 hours and exposure to full sunlight before sowing. Seedlings need relatively dry soil; growth decreases without proper amounts of magnesium and potassium. Grafting is also possible but there tends to be only a 65% success rate with this method.

Collingwood, G. H., Warren David Brush, and Devereux Butcher. Knowing Your Trees. Washington: American Forestry Association, 1978/1979. Print. Kellison, R. C., and Bruce Zobel. Genetics of Virginia Pine. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture, 1974. Print. Meyer, Frederick G., and Peter M. Mazzeo. A Catalog of Cultivated Woody Plants of the Southeastern United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1994. Print.