Trees of New York Siate 81 



PINACEAE 



rinus virg:iiii;nia Mill. fPimis inops Ait.] 



Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine 



Habit — In New York State, a small tree usually 30-40 feet in height, with 

 short trunk rarely more than 18 inches in diameter. Farther south and 

 west it oecusionally attains a height of 100 feet, with a trunk 2-3 feet 

 in diameter. Crown in young trees pyramidal, reaching to the ground; 

 in older trees open, flat-topped, pyramidal, with long horizontal or pen- 

 dulous branches in remote whorls. 



Leaves — Bonie in fascicles of 2, needle-shaped, semi-cylindrical, rather stout, 

 closely serrulate, acute, soft and flexible, generally twisted and diver- 

 gent, bright green and fragrant, 1^/^-3 inches long, persisting three or 

 four years. 



riowers — Appearing in April and May, monoecious, borne in cones. Stami- 

 nate cones in crowded clusters at the base of the growth of the season, 

 about % of an inch long, oblong, pale orange-bro-wn at maturity. 

 OvTilate cones solitary or paired near the middle of the growth of the 

 season, subglobose, about % of an inch long, long-pedunculate, pale 

 green tinged with rose. 



Fruit — An oblong-conical, prickly, bright green cone, 2-3 inches long, erect, 

 nearly sessile, often slightly curved, attaining fuU size the second autumn, 

 turning dark reddish-brown, and slowly setting free the seeds. Opened 

 cones persist on the branches for 3-4 years. Cone-scales thin, flattened, 

 thickened at the apex, and terminated by a prickle. Seeds pale brown, 

 winged, about Va of an inch long. 



Winter characters — Branchlets slender, tough, rather flexible, at first glau- 

 cous and gi-eenish purple, at length grayish broMTi. Buds %-% of an 

 inch in length, ovate, aeute, with ovate, acute, dark chestnut-bro^\Ti scales, 

 the scale-tips soon reflexed. Mature bark dark brown tinged with red, 

 thin, shallowly fissured -n-ith scale-like plates. 



Habitat — ■ Thrives ou poor, sandy soils, spreading rapidly over abandoned 

 fields and cut-over areas. Frequent on the sand-barrens of New Jersey. 



Range — Long Island and Staten Island, New York, south through eastern 

 Pennsylvania to Georgia and Alabama, west to Indiana, Kentucky and 

 Tennessee. Attains its best development west of the Alleghany Mountains. 

 Zone A. 



Uses — Of little value as a timber tree in the east because of its small size. 

 Wood light, soft, brittle, coarse-grained, durable in contact with the soil, 

 pale orange with thick, nearly white sapwood. Used for fuel and occa- 

 sionally converted into lumber. In reforestation, important as a "cover" 

 tree because of its rapid regeneration on exhausted lands. Of little 

 ornamental value. 



