Pinus virginiana
| Pinus virginiana | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 49' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pinus virginiana (common name: scrub pine)
Propagation: It is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored seed[1]. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for their first winter or two[2]. Plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions the better they will grow[K]. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[3]. We actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well[K]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[3].
Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away[4].
Cultivation: Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[5][2]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils[5]. Established plants tolerate drought[3]. Succeeds in very acid soils in the wild[6].
Often used in reforestation projects that are aimed at reclaiming exhausted soils in N. America[7]. This species is not very hardy in Britain. Trees are very slow growing in this country, apart from the first few years, and rarely make more than a bush on a stem[8].
Trees are short-lived in the wild, they can produce cones when 5 years old, though 8 - 10 years is the average[7]. Large crops are followed by 1 - 2 years of low seed production[7]. The cones take 2 years to mature, then open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree[9][10]. The empty cones persist on the trees for 3 - 4 years[9].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[3]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[3].
Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby reducing the amount of plants that can grow under the trees[11].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[3].
Range: Eastern N. America - New York to Alabama and Georgia.
Habitat: Barrens and sterile soils[6] at low elevations from 50 - 850 metres[7]. Found in a variety of soils, the best specimens grow in moderate to well-drained clay, loam or sandy soils[7].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[12]. Rich in oil with a resinous flavour. The seed is very small and fiddly to utilize, it is only about 4mm long[3].
A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are released from the pulpwood[3].
A tea is made from the leaves[12].
Medicinal: The turpentine obtained from the resin of all pine trees is antiseptic, diuretic, rubefacient and vermifuge[13]. It is a valuable remedy used internally in the treatment of kidney and bladder complaints and is used both internally and as a rub and steam bath in the treatment of rheumatic affections[13]. It is also very beneficial to the respiratory system and so is useful in treating diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza and TB[13]. Externally it is a very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, boils etc and is used in the form of liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths and inhalers[13].
An infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of high fevers[14].
An infusion of the buds has been used to remove worms from the body[14].
Usage: A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles[15].
The needles contain a substance called terpene, this is released when rain washes over the needles and it has a negative effect on the germination of some plants, including wheat[16].
Oleo-resins are present in the tissues of all species of pines, but these are often not present in sufficient quantity to make their extraction economically worthwhile[17]. The resins are obtained by tapping the trunk, or by destructive distillation of the wood[13][17]. In general, trees from warmer areas of distribution give the higher yields[17]. Turpentine consists of an average of 20% of the oleo-resin[17] and is separated by distillation[13][17]. Turpentine has a wide range of uses including as a solvent for waxes etc, for making varnish, medicinal etc[13]. Rosin is the substance left after turpentine is removed. This is used by violinists on their bows and also in making sealing wax, varnish etc[13]. Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a wood preservative etc.
Wood - coarse-grained, light, soft, weak and brittle, durable in contact with the soil[9][7][18]. It weighs 33lb per cubic foot[18]. It is used mainly for pulp and occasionally as lumber in rough construction or as a fuel[9][7].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Winter
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[19].
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Howes, Frank. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Chronica Botanica, 1949.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.