- You are here:
- Simple Key
- Woody plants
- Needle-leaved woody plants
- Pinus strobus
Pinus strobus — eastern white pine
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Soft, slender needles in bundles of 5 are characteristic of eastern white pine. Seedlings, saplings, and mature trees produce whorls of branches; the number of whorls present along a bole roughly correlate with the age (in years) of the tree. Many older white pines show two or more leaders, which are stimulated to grow when the central shoot is attacked by the white pine weevil. This widespread and widely planted tree grows quickly on a variety of dry to wet soils. Its soft wood is exceptionally useful for construction. Virgin stands of this long-lived (to 450 years) tree once covered New England and the huge boles were reserved by the King of England for masts and other uses to prevent overharvesting in the young and growing Colonies.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests, swamps, woodlands
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of five
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed cone base
- the base of the seed cone does not look hollow
- Seed cone bracts
- the bracts are covered by the seed cone scales
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Seed cone scales
- the visible portion of the scale of the closed seed cone is thickened at its base
- Seed cone symmetry
- the seed cone is symmetrical
- Seed cone umbo position
- the raised portion is at the tip of the seed cone scale
- Seed cone umbo spine
- the seed cone scale does not have a sharp point
- Seed wings
- the seeds have wing-like projections
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Leaf base
- NA
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of five
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf duration
- the needle-like leaves remain green all winter
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf glands
- there are no glands on the underside of the needle-like leaves
- Leaf stalks
- the needle-like leaves do not have a leaf stalk
- Leaf types
- there are two distinct types of needle-like leaves on the twig
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- swamps
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Bark resin blisters
- there are no resin blisters on the bark
- Branchlet thickness
- 2–5 mm
- Leaves on shoots
- there are needle-like leaves growing in tight clusters on a short, knob-like shoot
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hair type
- the twigs have few or no hairs on them
- Twig hairs
-
- the twig does not have hairs
- the twig is hairy
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
6. Pinus strobus L. N
eastern white pine. Strobus strobus (L.) Small • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forests and woodlands, predominantly on mesic to xeric soils, but sometimes found on hydric soils.