Eastern white pine, a symbol of Maine and Michigan

Maine’s flower that isn’t

Maine’s state floral emblem is not a flower at all but the “pine cone and tassel” of the eastern white pine. The Legislature chose it in 1895, the same year as several other early state flowers, and half a century later, in 1945, it named the white pine itself the state tree, so the same species fills both roles.

Michigan’s tree

Michigan named the white pine its state tree in 1955. The tree is native to both states: in Maine it grows in every part of the state, on moist sites, uplands and sandy soils.

How to recognize it

The eastern white pine has soft, flexible, bluish-green needles about 2.5 to 5 inches long, in bundles of five. Its seed cones are 4 to 8 inches long, cylindrical and often slightly curved, hanging on a long stalk, with thin scales that lack prickles and are coated with fragrant resin. The cones take two growing seasons to mature and open to release their seed in late summer of the second year.