Virginia Pine Pinus Virginiana B&B - The Windscreen Pine

Having its scientific name as pinus viuginiana, Virginia Pine is one of the common pine shrubs that grow in the drier sites. This is a monoecious evergreen tree, growing to a height of about 50 to 70 feet. It does not always grow straight; at times, it is contorted, and usually has a single round trunk. The Virginia pine is a native conifer of North America. Due to its height, it finds its usability as the windscreen. In southeastern parts, people use it as the Christmas tree. The tree is able to tolerate drought conditions and so, many people use it for various landscaping purposes. Virginia Pine does not have taproot. You can purchase this tree from a nursery as balled and bur- lapped (B&B).
The branches of Virginia Pine are slender, glaucous in nature, and its color varies from reddish to purplish. Toward the old age, the color of branches change to gray and they become rough. The bark of the tree is reddish-brown in color. When the tree matures, the bark breaks into small plates. The bark of younger trees is more reddish and has more flaks than a mature tree. The dead branches of the tree do not fall off or disappear with time; rather they remain embedded on the trunk of Virginia pine.

The cones of Virginia are about 2 inches long; the female cones of this tree are the smallest cones in entire North Carolina. The gray-brown cones stick to you when you squeeze them. The cones remain on this evergreen tree for years and because of this, the Virginia Pine has many cones. In North Carolina, the tree is abundant in the mountains and the upper half of the Piedmont, while it is rare in the east and south of Durham County.

Virginia Pine has short, stiff leaves with two twisted needles. The color of its leaves is pale yellow-green or deep green. The length of the leaves vary between 1 and 3 inches and they separate at the fascicles. The average life of the needle leaves is about 3 to 4 years. The Virginia Pine looks similar to the table mountain pine. It differs from the table mountain pine in terms of leaves and cones. The Virginia Pine has small cones while the table mountain pine has cones of oval shape.

The vegetation of Virginia pine does not occur naturally as in case of most other pines. The pollination takes place between March and May and it varies depending on the climatic conditions and temperatures. The cones on the tree attain maturity somewhere between late September and early November. For a proper growth, the tree seedlings require bright sunlight. The tree takes about 60 years to reach maturity.

Virginia Pine grows best if it gets well-drained clay, loam, or sandy loam soils. The soils must have silicate parent rocks to favor the growth to the fullest. The tree also grows in areas of limestone and shale. In the areas that are not so well drained, it gives way to other species of pines.