Plant Family: Pinaceae
Growth Form: Small scraggly tree.
Leaves: The stiff green needles are in bundles of 2 and very short, only 3 – 4 cm long.
Bark: Dark gray, rough and scaly.
Cones: Curved, or with a distinct bulge on one side, remaining unopened on the branches for years; fire causes the cones to open and release the seeds.
Habitat: Dry soils, rocky ledges.
Range: Found in northern Maine, scattered locations in northern New Hampshire, and along the coast east of Mount Desert Island; absent in southern New England.
Key Features: The very short needles and curved cones are unlike any other pine in our area.
Comments: In its northern habitat it is often one of the first trees to appear after a forest fire. The highly endangered Kirtland’s Warbler nests only in young Jack Pine groves in northern Michigan.
