This plant grows scattered about mountainous regions in North Carolina at elevations as high as 4,500 ft. It has an open form, irregularly pyramidal when young, and the trunk has a diameter of roughly 1 to 2 ft. The thick, gnarled branches take on a somewhat pendulous form. An irregular, globular form with twisting, gnarled, drooping branches. It has scaly, reddish-brown bark which eventually becomes black. Its stiff yellow-green needles eventually turn dark green. They grow in clusters of 3. It does best in areas with full sun. It prefers moist, well-drained soil but will tolerate a wide range of soils including poor, dry and rocky soil. This tree is salt tolerant and resistant to damage by deer. Although it can be damaged by fire, it will form sprouts from its roots and stumps. Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This tree is susceptible to wind damage. More information on Pinus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Open; Pyramidal
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Acicular
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
3 to 5 in. rigid, twisted dark yellow-green needles in bundles of 3 (3 per fascicle). Three faces of each needle have many thin, white lines of stomata.
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Flowers bloom in May.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit detail
Approximately 1 to 3 in. light brown cones in whorls of 3 to 5. The spines on each scale are stiff and curved. After releasing seeds, the cones will stay attached to the three for several years. Fruit displays from September to October.
Bark color
Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Thick, yellowish-brown plates. Tufts of needles can be found growing on the trunk. Dark scaly young bark, red-brown or yellow-brown thick flat plated deep furrowed mature bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Thick, gnarled, and sometimes pendulous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada, portions of northeast US
Distribution
Canada west to Minnesota south to Georgia east up to Maine
Wildlife value
This plant supports Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed. In the Appalachia Mountains, wild boar eat the bark and soft outside wood of the roots.
Attracts
Moths; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Uses (ethnobotany)
Lumber and wood pulp. Native Americans used to use pitch as a laxative and turpentine.