jack pine Pinaceae Pinus banksiana Lamb. symbol: PIBA2 Leaf: Evergreen needles, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, two twisted, divergent needles per fascicle, fascicle sheath is present but short; yellow-green in color. Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical, yellow-green, in clusters at twig tips; females oval, reddish. Fruit: Serotinous, persistenting on the tree for several years; 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, curved, light brown but graying with age; apophysis round and umbo armed with a small prickle. Twig: Yellow to greenish brown when young, turning gray-brown with age, very resinous, narrowly ovoid buds. Bark: At first dark and scaly, the bark later develops scaly ridges. Form: A small to medium sized tree up to 80 feet tall, with a small, irregular crown. Dead branches self-prune poorly. Cones are retained for several years, resulting in a coarse appearance. Looks like: lodgepole pine - Scots pine - Virginia pine Additional Range Information: Pinus banksiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting jack pine. External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America USDAFS Additional Silvics Landowner Factsheet USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson