Pinus banksiana ‘Jackpot’ is a new cultivar propagated from a compact Jack pine broom that was discovered while snowmobiling in a Jack pine forest behind a casino in Marquette County, Michigan, not far from the shores of Lake Superior. Marquette County is an ideal place to grow Pinus banksiana because of the climate and soil conditions. The broom suffered some damage from a previous cold winter with prolonged sub-zero temperatures. Several of the other Jack pine brooms we had discovered actually died from the extreme winter conditions and were no longer viable by harvest time. The “jackpot” bonus for this new Pinus banksiana cultivar is that it also makes cones!
