Name

Pinus banksiana Lamb., Descr. Pinus 1: 7, t. 3. (1803).
[Jack pine]

Description

Habit: A tree to 27 m tall or sometimes a shrub.

Bark: Scaly, orange to red-brown.

Foliage: Needles yellow-green, in 2’s, 2-5 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, twisted, stiff and often slightly curved with finely serrated margins and lines of stomata on all surfaces. Needle sheath persistent, 1.5 -7 mm long. Two, medial, resin canals.

Branchlets: Young branchlets, usually brown, glabrous, 2-6 mm wide.

Winter buds: Red-brown, resinous, 3-9 mm wide.

Cones: Cones forward or outward pointing on the branch and maturing in 2 years and shedding seeds soon after maturing or serotinous, but persisting on the tree, 1.7-5.5 cm long, 1.9-3.7 cm wide when open, sessile or on a very short stalk up to 2 mm long. Cone scales with no prickle.

Seeds: Brown to nearly black, 4-5 mm long, wings 10-12 mm long.

Notes

Closely related to, and can hybridise with Pinus contorta but this species is easily distinguished by the cones which are backward pointing, not so curved and prickly, and the needles which are not curved and up to 8 cm long.

Natural Distribution

Canada and the U.S.A.