Minnesota State Tree: Red Pine or Norway Pine (Pinaceae Pinus resinosa)

Red Pine aka Norway Pine

(Pinaceae Pinus resinosa)

Adopted in 1953.

The red or Norway pine (Pinus resinosa) became the official state tree in 1953. Red pines are tall, stately trees that reach heights of 60 to nearly 150 feet. Their trunks are straight and uniform and may grow to five feet in diameter. When mature, the trees usually are bare of branches for two-thirds of the way up the trunk, with rounded tops or “crowns.”

Description of the Minnesota State Tree

The Norway Pine is also called the red pine because of its reddish brown bark, stands 60 to 100 feet tall, with a trunk three to five feet wide. Its needles are four to six inches long and grow in pairs.

The tallest Norway pine in Minnesota is in Itasca State Park. It is over 300 years old and stands 120 feet high. Red pine is one of the most extensively planted species in the northern United States and Canada. It is a medium-size tree with lightweight, close-grained, pale reddish wood used primarily for timber and pulpwood. Trees 97 cm (38 in) in d.b.h. and 43 m (141 ft) tall in Michigan are among the largest living specimens.

Common Names:

Norway Pine is also called the red pine.

The name Norway comes from early explorers who thought the tree was a pine they had seen back home in Norway. Perhaps because so many Norwegians live here, Minnesota is the only state that still uses the term Norway. The Norway pine is extremely resistant to insects and disease.

Identification

Leaf: Evergreen, 4 to 6 inches long, with two needles per fascicle that snap cleanly when doubled.
Flower: Monoecious; males almost round, light red, in large clusters at branch tips; females a round, short cone, reddish-brown.
Fruit: Cones are ovoid, broad near the base and tapering to a point at the tip; 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long. The apophysis is chestnut brown and the umbo is not armed. Maturing August to October.
Twig: Medium textured, orange-brown in color with orange-brown buds.
Bark: On young trees, red-brown or pink to gray, flaky. Eventually becoming plated, the plates have scaly surfaces.
Form: A medium-size tree with an ovoid crown and a clear bole. Foliage is tufted, resembling a fox tail.

Statute

2008 Minnesota Statutes

1.143 STATE TREE.
Subdivision 1.Red or Norway pine.

The Red pine (Pinus resinosa), more commonly known as Norway pine, is designated as the official state tree of the state of Minnesota.
Subd. 2.Photograph.

A photograph of the Red pine, to be obtained and approved by the commissioner of natural resources, shall be certified and preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State.
History:

1953 c 20 s 1; 1983 c 119 s 2; 1984 c 628 art 1 s 1

Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Red Pine

Kingdom	Plantae -- Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Coniferophyta – Conifers
Class	Pinopsida –
Order	Pinales –
Family	Pinaceae – Pine family
Genus	Pinus L. – pine
Species	Pinus resinosa Soland. – red pine

Source:
Dendrology at Virginia Tech
US Department of Agriculture

All of the state trees, except the Hawaii state tree, are native to the state in which they are designated.

tree \ˈtrē\
noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English trēow; akin to Old Norse trē tree, Greek drys, Sanskrit dāru wood
Date: before 12th century

1 a: a woody perennial plant having a single usually elongate main stem generally with few or no branches on its lower part

b: a shrub or herb of arborescent form <rose trees> <a banana tree>

State Trees

Minnesota Symbols