Virginia Pine

LEAVES: Evergreen needles in clusters of 2, twisted, stout, relatively short 1½”-3″ long.

TWIGS: Slender, curved, flexible, brown to purple with bluish white coating. Buds egg- shaped, usually less than ½” long, brown and resinous.

FRUIT: Cone 2″-3″ long, prickles small but sharp, edge of scales with darker bands, usually without a stalk, remains attached for 3 or 4 years.

BARK: Smooth, thin, reddish brown and scaly, shallowly fissured into small flat plates.

GENERAL: Also called Scrub pine, this small tree attains a height of 30′-40′ on sandy or poor rocky soils of barrens and ridgetops. Virginia pine is a southern species that reaches its northern limit in Pennsylvania. It is valuable as cover for worn-out farmlands and is harvested for pulpwood. The seeds are eaten by squirrels, songbirds and game birds.