The almost vertically growing twigs and branches create a very slender, columnar tree. When young, its growth can be somewhat slow but afterwards the tree can grow relatively quickly to a height of 15 m. The twigs are strikingly orange-brown. The mature bark is grey-brown and peels off in rough strips. The stiff, rather short needles have a slight twist and are 3 - 6 cm long. They are in twos and blue-green. The grey-brown cones hang alone or in clusters of 2 to 5. This Pinus even grows in extreme conditions although it prefers well-drained, lightly acidic, quite dry soils. An unusually hardy tree. Very resistant to (sea) wind and not sensitive to air pollution. The cultivar name ‘Fastigiata’ was given to every columnar P. sylvestris in the 19th century. This means there is a range of clones around that differ slightly from each other.