Part 41

Twigs: Slender, orange-brown, smooth or slightly hairy.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 5, very flexible, up to 5 inches long, blue-green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ⅓ inch long; pistillate crowded into fewer groups, pink to purple.

Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, drooping, up to 8 inches long, each scale comprising the cone lacking any prickles; seeds narrowly oblong, up to ¼ inch long, with a wing up to ¾ inch long.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, light brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, construction.

Habitat: Moist woods, wooded slopes.

Range: Newfoundland across to Manitoba, south to Iowa, northern Illinois, and in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

Distinguishing Features: The soft, blue-green needles in clusters of 5 readily distinguish the White Pine.

SCOTCH PINE Pinus sylvestris L.

Growth Form: Medium tree to 65 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown irregular.

Bark: Large branches reddish-brown, broken into plates.

Twigs: Slender, brown, roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 2, stiff, to 3 inches long, gray-green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into 1 to several clusters.

Fruit: Cones narrowly ovoid, to 2½ inches long, each scale comprising the cone without any prickles.

Uses: Often planted as an ornamental, Christmas trees.

Habitat: Planted in plantations in Illinois, rarely escaped.

Range: Native of Europe; widely planted in the eastern United States.

Distinguishing Features: The rather short, stiff, gray-green needles in clusters of 2 distinguish this pine.

LOBLOLLY PINE Pinus taeda L.

Other Name: Old-field Pine.

Growth Form: Large tree sometimes over 125 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet; crown rounded.

Bark: Reddish-brown, divided into irregular plates.

Twigs: Slender, brown, becoming roughened.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 3 or occasionally 2, stiff, up to 9 inches long, light green.

Flowers: Staminate crowded into several yellow spikes up to ½ inch long; pistillate crowded into 1 to several yellow clusters.

Fruit: Cones ovoid to oblong, mostly straight, up to 6 inches long, each scale comprising the cone with a short, sharp prickle; seeds rounded, up to ¼ inch long, with a wing up to 1 inch long.