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Pinus sylvestris — Scotch pine

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Facts

Scotch pine is not actually common in Scotland, but ranges from Norway to Spain and other parts of Eurasia. Many cultivars and varieties have been introduced to North America and are popular garden items for their blue-green needles and platy bark that peels to reveal reddish under-bark toward the top of the tree. To distinguish it from other pines (except Pinus banksiana), look at the needles, which will undergo a full twist from the base to the tip.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, shrublands or thickets

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
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 two
Seed cone shape
  • the seed cone is globose (spherical)
  • the seed cone is lanceoloid (lance-shaped, thickest below the middle and tapering toward the ends)
  • the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
Leaves overlapping
the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Winter bud shape
    • the winter buds are conical (cone-shaped)
    • the winter buds are ovoid (egg-shaped)

  • 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 shape
    • the seed cone is globose (spherical)
    • the seed cone is lanceoloid (lance-shaped, thickest below the middle and tapering toward the ends)
    • the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
    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 two
    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
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • shrublands or thickets

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Bark resin blisters
    there are no resin blisters on the bark
    Branchlet thickness
    3–6 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
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • gray

Wetland status

Not classified

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.

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

7.  Pinus sylvestris L. E

Scotch pine. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forest edges, thickets, roadsides, persisting long after planting.

Native to North America?

No

Sometimes confused with

Pinus banksiana:
leaves mostly 2–3.5 cm long, not glaucous, larger branches gray-brown, and seed cones serotinous, persisting on plant for many years (P. sylvestris, with leaves 3–7 cm long, glaucous, larger branches orange-brown, and seed cones usually falling after second winter).
Pinus mugo:
umbo encircled by a thin, dark gray to nearly black ring, low, multi-stemmed shrubs, and leaves relatively straight (vs. P. sylvestris, with the umbo without a dark ring, upright, single-stemmed, short to tall trees, and leaves twisted).

Family

Pinaceae

Genus

Pinus