Virginia Tech Dendrology

Scots pine Pinaceae Pinus sylvestris L. symbol: PISY
Leaf: Evergreen needles, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, with two stout, twisted needles per fascicle, blue-green with distinct stomatal bands.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical, yellow, in large clusters along twigs; females oval, yellow-green to purple.
Fruit: Cones are ovoid, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, yellow-brown in color and slightly stalked; umbo is somewhat armed, with a blunt spine; apophysis resembles a pyramid, particularly on basal scales; maturing in the fall.
Twig: Moderately stout, green when young, changing to yellow-brown to olive-brown with large orangish, narrowly ovoid buds.
Bark: Orange to orange-brown and scaly or peeling when young; later developing irregular gray or red-brown ridges and furrows. Upper crowns always show orange peeling bark.
Form: A medium sized tree reaching up to 90 feet tall, often with a twisted or poorly formed trunk (depending on origin of seed). Young crowns are rounded; older crowns become round-topped.
Looks like: jack pine - Virginia pine - Japanese red pine

Additional Range Information: Pinus sylvestris is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information