Plant Family: Pinaceae
Growth Form: Medium-sized to large tree, often with a crooked trunk.
Leaves: The yellow-green needles are in bundles of 2, from 4 – 8 cm long.
Bark: Gray and scaly at the base of the trunk, with large, distinctly orange patches on the upper trunk and branches.
Cones: Small, from 4 – 6 cm long, on a very short stalk, the cone scales terminate in a flattened projection.
Habitat: Prefers well-drained sandy soils, but is a hardy tree tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions.
Range: Throughout New England, spreading from cultivation
Similar Species: Red Pine has longer needles, and bark checkered with red all the way to the base of the trunk, it lacks the larger orange patches on the upper trunk and branches.
Comments: Scotch Pine has a broad native distribution over much of northern Eurasia, where it is an important timber tree. It was one of the first trees introduced to North America in colonial times, and was formerly used in reforestation efforts; it is now naturalized in New England and the northern tier of States.
