A quickly growing, decorative Pinus with one of the primary decorative values being the colour of the needles. Forms a straight, vertical trunk with a crown that is at first narrow and later broad and pyramidal. Older trees develop a horizontal branching pattern and form a fan-shaped crown. In its original habitat, this is the conifer that grows the highest, reaching heights of 60 – 70 m. First the trunk is smooth and thin, but later becomes deeply grooved. Young twigs are olive green to greyish brown and shiny, usually with fine hairs, but sometimes bare. The thin, soft needles are a shiny bluish green and remarkably thin. They are 7 to 14 cm long and not twisted. The narrow, cylindrical cones are slightly curved. Pinus strobus develops a very strong root system and is unsusceptible to air pollution.