White Pine

Nutritional Value -

The White Pine tree (Pinus strobus) is an evergreen tree that is abundant throughout the northeastern U.S. and is easy very to identify. Furthermore, a tisane made from its leaves will supply you with vitamins A & C.

Where it Can Be Found Naturally -

The White Pine tree (aka Eastern White Pine) is endemic to the eastern U.S. and ranges from Canada to central Illinois and Iowa east to New Jersey and south along the Appalachian Mountains into northern Georgia. Also, white pine seems to grow best in locations with sandy, well-drained soil but it can also be found growing in sandy loams as long as the location is well drained.

How to Identify it -

White Pine is a long-leafed evergreen tree that grows to a height of 150 ft. Also, its needles are long, green, cylindrical, have a whitish cast to them (hence the name), and are arranged in bundles of five leaves. In addition, this tree produces cylindrical cones that can measure up to 8 inches in length.

How it Should Be Prepared -

The leaves of the White Pine tree can be prepared as a tisane and consumed as a beverage in order to ingest the beneficial vitamins and minerals it contains. Also, both the resin and the resin rich knots from this tree can be boiled and to create a tincture for use as a natural remedy for sore throats, coughs, and colds.

Can You Grow it in Your Garden? -

Yes, White Pine tree can be cultivated in yards throughout the lower 48 states provided that it is given the correct soil and light conditions. However, it does not do well in arid or semi-arid locations unless special conditions are provided. Also, White Pines grow fastest in the open and prefers locations with medium to fine soil texture, medium to high soil fertility, and a soil layer that is moist most of the time and deeper than 18 inches. Also, you should avoid extremes of heavy, continually wet, soils and gravelly, drought-prone, soils and thus, White Pines grow well on slopes, hilltops, or shoulders of hills and thus, you should avoid potholes, bases of slopes, v-shaped valleys, or small openings in dense forest that favor the collection of cool, moist, air.