Botanical Name:

Pinus banksiana

Common Name:

jack pine

Family Name:

Pinaceae – pine family

General Description:

Pinus banksiana is a scrubby, off-color, awkward tree that is not often planted in the landscape. There are, however, some unique cultivars worthy of use in specialty gardens or landscapes. Jack pine is a native tree known for its adaptability to extreme cold and ability to grow in poor, sandy soils. It is considered a pioneer plant for its ability to populate a forest after a fire. According to Plants of the Chicago Region, this species typically occurs in our area in the sandy, dunal areas around Lake Michigan.

Zone:

2-6 or 7

Resources Consulted:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Champaign: Stipes, 2009. Print.

"The PLANTS Database." USDA, NRCS. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA, 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Swink, Floyd, and Gerould Wilhelm. Plants of the Chicago Region. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994. Print.

Creator:

Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, Professor, College of DuPage

Creation Date:

2014

Keywords/Tags:

Pinaceae, tree, conifer, cone, needle, evergreen, Pinus banksiana, jack pine

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