Scientific Name
Pinus virginiana ‘Wate’s Golden’
The Virginia pine has needles two to a bundle and has a native habitat following the Appalachian Mountain range from northern New Jersey down to Alabama, occurring most often in the foothills. Among pines, this tree is closely related to the more northerly-occurring jack pine, which is also planted on the south side of the Fine Arts building. A significant difference is that the needles of this tree are twisted, whereas those of the jack pine are curved. Virginia pine was once a mainstay of the Christmas tree market but lost popularity to some other more attractive conifers. Otherwise, its main use nowadays is for reforestation in areas of poor fertility. In its typical form, it’s seldom encountered in landscape planting.
The needles of Virginia pine in their native habitat can sometimes become an unhealthy yellowish color during the winter months. The ‘Wate’s Golden’ cultivar was created from a specimen whose winter color is an exceptionally brilliant yellow and can add a beacon of brightness to an otherwise drab landscape. It is sometimes questioned whether this tree in its yellow phase is dying, but it’s not — just wait for spring and it’ll be back to a fine shade of green.