Plant Image Data Base                                         

       Pinus strobus

                                            White Pine or Eastern White Pine

• Form
  • large evergreen tree
  • maturing at about 80' tall by 40' wide under urban conditions, but much larger in its native habitats
  • upright pyramidal growth habit in youth with a strong central leader (having distinctly whorled branching all the way up the trunk), but with a flat-topped or scalloped crown at maturity
  • rapid growth rate
• Culture
  • full sun to partial shade
  • performs best in full sun in moist, rich, acidic, well-drained soils, yet suffers under conditions of urban stress, resulting in decreased vigor, less branching, shorter needles, and foliage chlorosis
  • not at all urban tolerant, especially to Winter salt spray, pollution, compacted soils, poorly drained soils, clay soils, and alkaline pH soils

• Function
  • large evergreen tree that may serve as a specimen, group planting, windbreak, or visual screen
• Assets
  • rapid growth and re-establishment, becoming a large evergreen tree
  • bluish-green fine-textured foliage
  • symmetrical upright pyramidal growth habit in youth
  • relatively inexpensive (due to rapid growth at nurseries)
  • becoming scalloped (or flat-topped) and picturesque with advanced age
• Purpose
  • Eastern White Pine is a fine-textured, rapidly-growing evergreen tree with a symmetrical, narrow pyramidal shape in its youth and middle age.
• Summary
  • Pinus strobus is known as a bluish-green foliaged pyramidal tree with distinctly whorled branching, valued as both a climax forest timber tree (valued for its use as lumber, telephone poles, or pulp) in the Northeastern United States, as well as a landscape tree for use as a focal point, screen, or windbreak, but not well-adapted to urban stresses.

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