Pinus banksiana

Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal.

Pinus banksiana is an evergreen Tree growing to 12 m by 5 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 2. It is in leaf all year, in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from January to February. The species is monoecious and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile.
Suitable for: light and medium soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Landscape Uses:Screen. Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam. The trees have an extensive root system and are well adapted for growing in poor sandy soils, they are often used as a pioneer tree for reforestation. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils and shady positions. Starts away well on almost any soil, whether poorly drained or shallow and dry. Established plants tolerate drought. A fast growing tree when young, but growth soon slows down and the tree is short-lived in Britain with no tree known to be older than 75 years. New shoots can be almost 1 metre long, though the tree remains spindly. An open-topped tree, though plants sometimes have a shrubby habit of growth. They can start producing seed when only a few years old. The cones are 4- 5cm long. They ripen in their second year but can remain un-opened on the tree for a number of years, only opening and shedding their seed after a forest fire has heated them to at least 50°c. This makes them one of the first colonizers of burnt land. Cultivated for timber in C. Europe. Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus. This species hybridises in the wild with the closely related P. contorta where their ranges overlap. There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value. Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants below the tree. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Special Features:North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.