32 Common Trees 



OTHER NEW YORK PINES 



THE SCRUB PINE (Pinus virginiana, Mill.) is a small to 

 medium-sized tree. It usually reaches a height of 30-40 

 feet and a diameter of 18 inches. It is a pioneer tree often 

 found in abandoned fields and waste places, where it pre- 

 pares the way for other more valuable trees. 



The leaves occur in pairs. They are 1 Yi -3 inches long, 

 twisted, spread widely from each other. The cones are nar- 

 row, conical, sharp-pointed, 2-3 inches long, and persist for 

 many years. The cone scales bear slender prickles. The twigs 

 are smooth, purplish, tough, usually flexible. On older 

 trunks the bark peels off in thin scales. 



The Scrub Pine is found from southeastern New York 



and north-central Pennsylvania to Georgia and Alabama and 



west to Texas. In New York it is reported only in the 



sandy soils in the western and southern parts of Staten 



Island. It prefers rolling uplands between the mountains 



and the lowlands. 



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The Shortleaf Pine, also called Yellow Pine and Hard 

 Pine (Pinus echinata, Miller) , is primarily a tree of the south- 

 land, where it makes its best growth at elevations of 400 to 

 1,500 feet, but it occurs as high as 3,000 feet. In New York 

 this tree occurs in sandy, rocky, or barren soils of Staten 

 Island. Formerly was found northward to Westchester 

 county. 



The Shortleaf Pine has many characteristics in common 

 with Pitch Pine, but the older trees can be distinguished by 

 their cinnamon red bark, which divides in large rectangular 

 blocks and peels off in numerous thin scales. Younger speci- 

 mens can be identified by their pale bluish white to pur- 

 plish brown twigs, which are circular in cross-section. The 

 twigs of Pitch Pine are heavier, golden brown, and angular 

 in cross-section. It is a very valuable timber tree. 

 ****** 



The Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris, Linnaeus) is a native 

 of Europe. It has been planted widely in the eastern United 

 States. During the last 25 years it has been used exten- 

 sively for reforestation purposes in New York and other 

 eastern states. It is also common throughout the State as a 

 specimen tree in ornamental plantings. 



The Scotch Pine can be distinguished from other pines by 

 its reddish bark on the upper third of mature stems, and by 

 its bluish-green needles, which occur in twos and are 2Vi- 

 3^ inches long. Its conical, often lopsided, cones V/i-lYi 

 inches long, and usually pointed backwards, are also distinc- 

 tive. This introduced tree is easy to plant, grows rapidly, 

 and yields good wood. Locally it is used as a Christmas tree. 



