Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum

Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the ponderosa pine or western yellow pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the most widely distributed pine species in North America. Pinus ponderosa grows in various erect forms in 16 western U.S. states as well as British Columbia in Canada and has been introduced in temperate regions of Europe and in New Zealand. It was first documented in modern science in 1826 in eastern Washington near present-day Spokane (of which it is the official city tree). On that occasion, David Douglas misidentified it as Pinus resinosa (red pine). In 1829, Douglas concluded that he had a new pine among his specimens and coined the name Pinus ponderosa for its heavy wood. In 1836, it was formally named and described by Charles Lawson, a Scottish nurseryman. It was adopted as the official state tree of Montana in 1949. Other vernacular names that have been used for the species are "bull pine" and "blackjack pine", but these are general woodsmans terms applied to growth stages of several different pines, rather than specific to Pinus ponderosa.

Description

A hard pine. It is a large tree. It grows to 35 m high and 100 cm across the trunk. The bark is dark grey, rough and scaly. It becomes orange brown and cracked with age. It forms large thick flaky plates. The lower branches droop. The crown is wide and can be flat topped. The needles are in bundles of 3. They are 12-25 cm long. They are straight and stiff but flexible. They are yellowish-green and very sharp. The edges are sharply toothed. The seed cones are oval and 7-15 cm long. They are reddish-brown and hang down. They are often in groups of 3 and are almost stalkless. They are thickened at the tips. They open at maturity to release the seeds. The seeds are mottled dark brown and 7 mm long. They have a boat shaped wing at the tip.

Edible Uses

The inner bark (cambium layer between wood and bark) is eaten fresh or roasted. The seeds are eaten raw. The leaves are used for tea.

Traditional Uses

The inner bark is eaten. It is the cambium layer between the wood and the bark. It is eaten fresh or roasted. The seeds are eaten raw. The leaves are used for tea. Caution: The tea should not be drunk in large amounts. It should not be drunk by pregnant women.

Medicinal Uses

Native Americans consumed the seeds and sweet inner bark. They chewed the dried pitch, which was also used as a salve. They used the limbs and branches as firewood and building material, and the trunks were carved into canoes. The needles and roots were made into baskets. The needles were also boiled into a solution to treat coughs and fevers.

Known Hazards

Tea from the leaves should not be drunk in large amounts and should not be drunk by pregnant women.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on mountain slopes in North America. It grows in areas subject to frequent forest fires. It will grow on a variety of soils. It cannot tolerate shade. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. ACT Yarralumla. In Hobart Botanical gardens.

Where It Grows

Australia, Britain, Canada, Central America, China, Europe, Mexico, North America, Tasmania, USA,

Production

Trees can live for several hundred years. They develop seed crops every 2-5 years. The cambium is harvested from young trees or from twigs on older trees. It is best collected on cool, cloudy days when the sap is running. The scales from the cones are collected and dried until the seeds can be shaken out.

Notes

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

Also Known As

Bull Pine, Western Yellow Pine

References (25)

• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 802
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 803.
• CASTETTER,
• Ciesla, W.M., 1998, Non-wood forest products from conifers. Non-wood forest products 12, FAO, Rome, p 72

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