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Pinaceae
Pinus sylvestris
Specimen Size: 80.8ft tall, 14.25in in diameter.
Location: North side of walkway to Padelford (left when looking at building), also at other intervals on the east/hill side of Stevens Way.
Historical Background: Scots pine is a major species in European forestry, as well as an ornamental in North America. It survives well on drought prone sites and is effective in controlling erosion. Scot's pine has many other uses. The needles provide a tan or green dye and can also be used as a packing material. A reddish-yellow dye can be obtained from the cones. The roots burn well because they are resinous and can be used as a candle substitute. Resin and turpentine are made from either tapping the trunk or distillation of the wood. After turpentine is removed from the tree a substance called rosin is left over, and rosin is used by violinists on their bows and is also used as a sealing wax or varnish.
Non-Native
Native Range: Eurasia
Identifying Features: This old world tree resembles somewhat our own native lodgepole pine, a variety of which we will see later on this tour. Its needles grow in fascicles of two, and are short and blue-green, bunching near the ends of branches. The bark is quite distinctive, flaking like cornflakes, it is a gray to orangish complection, shedding in papery plates. Cones are small and egg shaped, a pale yellow color and often exhibiting a small barb at the end of the scales.
Identifying Features In Depth:
Form: A tall thin tree with a crown of spreading branches that can be rounded or irregular in shape. Here at the UW the examples are very tall and thin with little foliage near the ground. They grow to a height of around 70’ (21m), and can reach 2’ (0.6m) or more as they age in width!
Leaves: Blueish-green, evergreen, forming as needles in fascicles of 2 to a length of about 1.5-2.5” (4-6.5cm). The needles are slightly flattened and twisted, and very stiff.
Bark: A cornflake bark tree, with scales of bark flaking away in papery plates, running the gambit from reddish orange to grey in color.
Reproductive Bodies: Cones are egg shaped and small, from 1 ¼ to 2 ½” (3-6cm) long, with pale yellow brown scales with short stalks. The cone is armed with a small prickle at the end of the flattened scales.
Native range of Pinus sylvestris in Europe and Northern Asia, compiled by Euforgen. The range extends to the eastern edge of northern Asia.
Below is the description found for this species on the original Brockman Memorial Tree Tour:
Historic Tree Tour Information: The Scots Pines interplanted with the Padelford Hall katsuras are best seen in winter, when their orange bark and blue-green needles show up with less competition from other trees. Notice how shade kills their lower limbs. Scotland indeed in one home of this species, but it also grows all the way east to the Pacific. No other tree has such an extensive range. The Scots is identified by its slender orange trunk, 2- to 4-inch (5- to 10-centimeter) blue green, stiff needles in bundles of two, and 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7.6-centimeter) cones. Most similar on campus is the Japanese Red Pine*.
It is a major species in European forestry, as well as an ornamental in North America. Scot's Pine survives well on drought prone sites and is effective in controlling erosion. Scot's pine has many other uses. The needles provide a tan or green dye and can also be used as a packing material. A reddish-yellow dye can be obtained from the cones. The roots burn well because they are resinous and can be used as a candle substitute. Resin and turpentine are made from either tapping the trunk or distillation of the wood. After turpentine is removed from the tree a substance called rosin is left over, and rosin is used by violinists on their bows and is also used as a sealing wax or varnish.
*Arguably the phenotype of this tree may match more closely with that of the shore pine also included on this tour.
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