The usual size range for this pine is 9–18 m, (18–59 feet) but can grow larger under optimum conditions.
This tree prefers well-drained loam or clay, but will also grow on very poor, sandy soil, where it remains small and stunted.
Its other main use is on Christmas tree farms, despite having sharp-tipped needles and yellowish winter color.
Wood from Virginia pine is not normally considered to resist rot unless treated with preservatives.
Pinus virginiana is endemic to the United States and can be identified by a key characteristic; the relatively short needles are twisted and come in bunches of two.
The tree occurs in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,[3] Indiana, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.
Pinus virginiana is poorly adapted to fire, but if the tree is larger they are able to survive.
Open growth Virginia pines may begin cone production at only 5 years old.
Virginia pine is monecious and some self-pollination is possible, but a significant seed crop requires two trees.
Pollination takes place 13 months after cone formation begins, and dispersal occurs the following autumn.
Diarrhea, stiffness of the body, colds, fevers, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, and constipation, among others, are all ailments treated with parts of the tree.
Ball players would consume apple juice infused with P. virginiana needles "for wind" prior to events.
[9] Pinus virginiana was used historically as mine timbers, for railroad ties, and for fuel and tar.