Eastern White Pine

Latin name: Pinus strobus

Etymology: Pinus strobus likely gets its name from the appearance of its cones. The genus name Pinus means ‘pine tree’ in Latin, while strobus is derived from the Greek word for 'whirling round' (strobos), which might refer to the arrangement of the seeds on the cone.

Family: Pinaceae (Pines)

Origin: Eastern North America

Native habitats: Forests and forest edges, swamps 

It was common to plant groves of pine and spruce trees in Princeton in the post-farm era. Native further north, white pines are vulnerable to ice and wind storms. Our Botanical Art Garden was previously a pine grove, likely planted by Oswald Veblen in the 1940s or 50s. The grove was a popular place for picnics, but most of its pines succumbed in recent decades to a succession of storms. The needles of white pine are clustered in groups of five–the same number as letters in the word “white”. Calculate the age of a white pine by counting the whorls of branches on the trunk–one whorl per year.

Description: Eastern White Pines have a height of between 80-110 feet and a diameter of 2-6 feet. Needles are 2-4 inches long and appear in 5 to the bundle. The bark is dark with deep furrows and not scaly as in other pines. Fruits are slender, tapering  and thornless cones measuring 3-10 inches.

Similar species: No other pine species has needles appearing in 5 to the bundle and non-scaly bark.

Wildlife value: Birds eat the seeds.

Uses: This plant was used as a medicine by several native North American Indian groups, primarily as an antiseptic. Pitch from the resin has reportedly been used for waterproofing canoes and as a wood preservative. In the colonial period, the long, straight trunks of the Eastern White Pine were used to make ship’s masts. 

Presently, the Eastern White Pine is one of the most important timber trees in the Northeast with the wood being primarily used for construction, millwork, trim, and pulpwood.