Pinus strobus

Common Names

Eastern White Pine, Northern White Pine, White Pine, Weymouth Pine, North American White Pine, Soft Pine

Summary

Eastern white pine is a tall evergreen conifer native to eastern North America, valued for straight trunks and a graceful, pyramidal to oval form. It has bluish-green needles in bundles of five, slender 4–8 inch cones, and a soft texture; mature trees typically reach 50–80 ft tall and 20–40 ft wide. It grows best in full sun to partial shade on moist, well-drained acidic soil and is relatively easy to transplant; it tolerates cool to warm climates but is not drought-tolerant and is sensitive to air pollutants. Common uses include timber, landscaping, specimen or hedge plantings, and Christmas trees, while providing wildlife habitat; propagation is by seed, and pests such as white pine blister rust and white pine weevil require management.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

50-80 feet

Spread

20-40 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun, tolerates Partial Sun or Partial Shade, can grow in Full Sun to Partial Shade

Soil Type

Acidic, moist, well-drained soil, preferably loamy or sandy loam

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil.

Soil pH

5.1-6.5, Slightly acidic to near-neutral

Bloom Color

Green, Yellow, Brown

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Bluish-green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall color; it remains green.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen needle

Growth Rate

Rapid-growing; height growth roughly 0.3–1.0 m per year (peaking near 1 m/year on productive sites around ages 10–15, slower outside), diameter growth up to about 2.5 cm per year.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Grafting

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds, Attracts butterflies, Attracts moths