Eastern White Pine

(Pinaceae Pinus strobus)

Adopted in 1945.

The White pine, Pinaceae Pinus strobus,  is considered to be the largest conifer in the northeastern United States.It was adopted as Maines state tree in 1945. Leaves (needles) are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silver green in color and are regularly arranged in bundles of five. Needles are 2 1/2-5 inches long and are usually shed at the end of the second growing season. Flowers (strobili) occur on the tree. Cones are 4-8 inches in length, usually slightly curved. Cone scales are thin and never have prickles. Cones also have a fragrant gummy resin.

Eastern white pine also called northern white pine, is one of the most valuable trees in eastern North America. Before the arrival of white men, virgin stands contained an estimated 3.4 billion m³ (600 billion fbm) of lumber. By the late 1800's most of those vast stands had been logged. Because it is among the more rapid growing northern forest conifers, it is an excellent tree for reforestation projects, landscaping, and Christmas trees and has the distinction of having been one of the more widely planted American trees.

Description:

Leaf: Evergreen, 3 to 5 inches long, with five blue-green, slender needles per fascicle. A fascicle sheath is not present. Needles appear blue because of 3 or more lines of stomata.

Flower: Monoecious; males cylindrical, yellow, in clusters near branch tips; females light green, tinged in red, at ends of branches.

Fruit: Cones are 4 to 7 inches long, cylindrical, with thin, rounded cone scales, very resinous. Cones are borne on a long stalk. Maturing August to September.

Twig: Slender, gray-green to orange-brown in color.

Bark: On young trees; thin, smooth and gray-green in color. Later becoming thick, reddish-brown to gray-brown with prominent ridges and furrows.

Form: A large tree with a very straight stem. The crown is conical when young, later developing wispy, horizontal branches.