red pine Pinaceae Pinus resinosa Aiton symbol: PIRE Leaf: Evergreen needles, 4 to 6 inches long, with two needles per fascicle that snap cleanly when bent, dark green. Flower: Species is monoecious; males almost round, light red, in large clusters at branch tips; females a round, short cone, reddish brown. Fruit: Cones are ovoid, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, shiny chestnut brown, umbo is not armed, maturing in early summer. Twig: Medium textured, orange-brown in color with narrow, ovoid orange-brown buds. Bark: On young trees, red-brown or pink to gray, flaky; eventually becoming plated, the plates have scaly surfaces with a reddish tinge. Form: A medium size tree reaching up to 90 feet tall, with oval crown and a clear bole. Foliage is tufted, resembling a fox tail. Looks like: Austrian pine - Japanese black pine - Japanese red pine Additional Range Information: Pinus resinosa is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting red pine. External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America USDAFS Additional Silvics Landowner Factsheet USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2014, 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