Pinus virginiana P. Miller. Subgenus: Pinus. Section: Trifoliae. Subsection: Contortae. Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine, Possum Pine, Spruce Pine. Phen: Mar-May; Sep-Nov. Hab: Dry forests and woodlands, especially on slopes and ridges, also common in certain areas as a weedy successional tree on nearly any kind of site, such as rocky, sandy, or clayey successional old fields or blowdowns. Dist: Primarily a Central and Southern Appalachian endemic: s. NY, NJ, and PA, south through VA, WV, s. OH, s. IL, KY, TN, and NC to nw. SC, n. GA, n. AL, and ne. MS.

ID notes: The small, thin, curling bark plates colored orangish and purplish-brown are distinctive for Pinus virginiana. From a distance, its crown has a spiky appearance, from the ascending and narrow branches with short needles.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Other Comments: A small, scrubby pine, often occurring in very dense, monospecific stands in the upper Piedmont or at low elevations in the various montane provinces, as a result of secondary succession of old fields.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, F, FNA2, G, Il, K1, K3, K4, Mo1, NY, Pa, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, Va, W, WV, Price (1989)

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Heliophily ⓘ: 8