Pinus strobus
Common name:
Eastern White Pine
Pronunciation:
PI-nus STRO-bus
Family:
Pinaceae
Genus:
Type:
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Conifer, evergreen tree, 30-60 ft (9-18 m), in youth a symmetrical pyramid, open, soft, pleasant appearance; with age, is composed of several horizontal and ascending branches. Needles in bundles of five, slender, soft, bluish-green, 5-13 cm long, white stomatic lines on the two inner surfaces, sheath about 13 mm, falling away. Cones subterminal, pendent, cylindrical, 15-20 cm long and 4 cm wide, often curved, apex pointed, light brown, resinous, mature in second year. (Difficult to distinguish from P. monticola, which has wider, stiffer needles and which grow more dense.)
- Sun or partial shade. Best growth on fertile, moist, well-drained soil, but is found on dry, rocky ridges and wet sphagnum bogs. Tolerant to air pollution and salts. Decaying needles make the soil beneath the tree very acid, about pH 4.5, which suppresses the growth of other plant species.
- Susceptible to White Pine blister rust, which eventually kills the tree.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 3 Native from Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Iowa.
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There are many cultivars available; here are just a few:
- 'Alba' - tree, normal habit, but young needles whitish-green in spring, green in summer
- 'Fastigiata' - tree, columnar form, but may be shrubby at frist, then upright, to about 40 ft tall and 8 ft wide (12 × 2.4 m)
- 'Macopin' - shrub, broad, about 3+ ft (~1 m) tall and greater width, dense shoots, needles blue-green
- 'Nana' - dwarf shrub, globose, wider than tall, dense, branched to the ground, very slow growing, about 5 cm per year
- 'Pendula' - tree, may be multi-stemmed, semi-dwarf, long drooping branches
- 'Sea Urchin' - dwarf shrub, flatened globe, compact, growing about 2.5 cm per year, needles thin and blue
- 'Torulosa' - tree, needles much twisted and to a lesser degree the branches
- 'Verkade's Broom' - shrub, round, upright, bright green foliage, slight browning in winter
- strobus: Latin for gum yielding tree.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: north of Finley Hall (dorm).