Virginia Pine Pinus virginiana P. Miller    Synonyms: Jersey Pine, Scrub Pine.
Kingdom Plantae   >   Division Coniferophyta   >   Class Pinopsida   >   Order Pinales   >   Family Pinaceae   >   Genus Pinus   

Status:

Virginia Pine generally grows throughout the Piedmont and at lower elevations in the mountains from central Pennsylvania south-westward to northeastern Mississippi, Alabama, and northern Georgia. It also occurs in the Coastal Plain as far north as New Jersey and Long Island, New York. It is present in scattered areas in Ohio, southern Indiana, and Tennessee (Carter and Snow, 1990). It is typically an early-successional species, seeding into old fields and other open areas and then giving way to hardwood species.

Description:

Virginia Pine is often scraggly and of poor shape (hence its alternative name “Scrub Pine”), but on some sites, it can grow into a tall, straight, beautiful tree and can live for 120 or more years. It has two, short, twisted needles. The cones are small, numerous, slightly prickly, and often persistent.

Where to find:

Virginia Pine grows throughout most of Maryland, except in Garrett Co., on dry or sterile soils (Brown and Brown, 1972).

Relationships:

Host plant for various moth species including Wenzel's Pitch-blister Moth (Gilligan, Wright, & Gibson, 2008).

Thecodiplosis brachynteroides larvae create galls in needles.

There are 736 records in the project database.

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A Virginia Pine hosts a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (2/25/2013). Photo by Benjamin DeHaven. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine at Soldier's Delight, Baltimore Co., Maryland (1/5/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (2/12/2017). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine with male cones, in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/1/2018). Photo by Matt Grey. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine, with mature unopened female cone (l.), mature (r.) growing in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (11/27/2019). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland. Note the short needles in bundles of two (2/16/2011). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/5/2016). Photo by Elizabeth Miller. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/21/2015). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Talbot Co., Maryland (2/25/2013). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (11/21/2015). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine at Patuxent Research Refuge, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/15/2012). Note the short needles in bundles of two. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine at Soldier's Delight, Baltimore Co., Maryland (1/5/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/9/2013). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine shoot with new vegetative growth in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (4/12/2020). (c) johnbotany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Harford Co., Maryland (12/6/2015). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine growing in Kent Co., Maryland (3/26/2016). Photo by Nancy Martin. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (1/1/2016). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Calvert Co., Maryland (2/10/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine with male cones, in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (4/25/2015). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine with immature female cones, growing in Howard Co., Maryland (7/4/2016). Photo by Robert Ferraro. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/5/2016). Photo by Elizabeth Miller. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Howard Co., Maryland (4/15/2010). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Allegany Co., Maryland (9/29/2017). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Allegany Co., Maryland (9/29/2017). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Allegany Co., Maryland (9/29/2017). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine, new growth, in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/1/2018). Photo by Matt Grey. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Caroline Co., Maryland (3/17/2020). (c) Wayne Longbottom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/17/2020). (c) kldanz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by kldanz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/5/2020). (c) wilpersm, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by wilpersm via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (11/21/2020). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine with male cones, in Dorchester Co., Maryland (4/30/2015). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine in Montgomery Co., Maryland (1/28/2017). Photo by Bill Hill. (MBP list)

Virginia Pine (right) with Loblolly Pine (left) in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/4/2019). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)


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