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- Dichotomous Key
- Pinaceae
- Pinus
- Pinus sylvestris
Pinus sylvestris — Scotch pine
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Facts
Scotch pine is not actually common in Scotland, but ranges from Norway to Spain and other parts of Eurasia. Many cultivars and varieties have been introduced to North America and are popular garden items for their blue-green needles and platy bark that peels to reveal reddish under-bark toward the top of the tree. To distinguish it from other pines (except Pinus banksiana), look at the needles, which will undergo a full twist from the base to the tip.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, shrublands or thickets
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of two
- Seed cone shape
-
- the seed cone is globose (spherical)
- the seed cone is lanceoloid (lance-shaped, thickest below the middle and tapering toward the ends)
- the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Winter bud shape
-
- the winter buds are conical (cone-shaped)
- the winter buds are ovoid (egg-shaped)
-
Fruits or seeds
- Seed cone base
- the base of the seed cone does not look hollow
- Seed cone bracts
- the bracts are covered by the seed cone scales
- Seed cone form
- the seed cone is longer than wide, with woody scales attached at the base
- Seed cone scales
- the visible portion of the scale of the closed seed cone is thickened at its base
- Seed cone shape
-
- the seed cone is globose (spherical)
- the seed cone is lanceoloid (lance-shaped, thickest below the middle and tapering toward the ends)
- the seed cone is ovoid (egg-shaped)
- Seed cone symmetry
- the seed cone is symmetrical
- Seed cone umbo position
- the raised portion is at the tip of the seed cone scale
- Seed cone umbo spine
- the seed cone scale does not have a sharp point
- Seed wings
- the seeds have wing-like projections
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- the needle-like leaves are in clusters or held on short shoots
- Leaf base
- NA
- Leaf clustering
- the needle-like leaves are in bundles or clusters of two
- Leaf cross-section
- the needle-like leaves are rounded, or flattened on one side (can be rolled between the fingers)
- Leaf duration
- the needle-like leaves remain green all winter
- Leaf form
- the leaves are needle-like
- Leaf glands
- there are no glands on the underside of the needle-like leaves
- Leaf stalks
- the needle-like leaves do not have a leaf stalk
- Leaf types
- there are two distinct types of needle-like leaves on the twig
- Leaves overlapping
- the needle-like leaves are separate and do not hide the twig surface
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- shrublands or thickets
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Bark resin blisters
- there are no resin blisters on the bark
- Branchlet thickness
- 3–6 mm
- Leaves on shoots
- there are needle-like leaves growing in tight clusters on a short, knob-like shoot
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hair type
- the twigs have few or no hairs on them
- Twig hairs
- the twig does not have hairs
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- gray
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
7. Pinus sylvestris L. E
Scotch pine. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forest edges, thickets, roadsides, persisting long after planting.
Native to North America?
No