Native Pine Trees In California: 18 Types You Must Know

Pine trees are among the most widespread types of trees not only in California but also in the US. And of the 42 species of native pine trees in the United States, 18 are native to California. 

Moreover, no other genus of trees in California has as many species as Pines. So, when you go for your next drive or hike, check out all those amazing pine varieties that thrive in the state.

And, to help you with that, we have compiled the complete list of 18 native pine trees in California, along with their details like physical characteristics, habitat, native range, and uses.

Let’s get started.

1. Whitebark Pine

• Common Name: Whitebark Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus albicaulis
• Mature Height: 25-50ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Timber

Whitebark Pines are one of the most commonly seen pine trees in California landscapes. They typically have multiple stems with trunks that are partially fused at the base. It can grow to a height of 15 meters (50 feet) and a diameter of 60 centimeters (2 feet). 

At the tree line, the Whitebark Pine often takes on a shrub-like appearance and can range in size from 30 centimeters (1 foot) to 90 centimeters (1 foot) (3 feet). It can live for up to 700 years. Its leaves are arranged in 5 bundles and measure 3-7 cm long. 

It has dark green, stiff needles with a white stomatal bloom on all surfaces. The cones are broad egg-shaped to globular in shape, purplish brown to tan in color, and range in length from 4 to 9 centimeters. 

The bark is typically less than 12 mm thick and greyish white to white. In mature trees, it also has scaly plates separated by furrows. Whitebark Pine is found in subalpine coniferous forests and woodlands, usually near or at the tree line. 

It is common in the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Warner Mountains, as well as the Klamath Mountains, and can be found in the higher mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains. It has a low elevation limit of about 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) and a high elevation limit of about 3,600 meters (12,000 ft). The Whitebark Pine is shade-intolerant and easily killed by fire. 

Different animals, such as birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, disperse and store their seeds in seed caches.

2. Knobcone Pine

• Common Name: Knobcone Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus attenuata
• Mature Height: 20-40ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: None

The Knobcone Pine is a small to medium-sized, single-stemmed, erect tree with a height of 6 to 12 meters (20 to 40 feet) and a diameter of 30 to 60 centimeters (12 to 24 inches). It has a relatively short lifespan, with an average lifespan of 60 years. 

On younger trees, the tree has an irregular, open-branching pattern and a narrow conical crown, while older trees have a rounded crown. Its leaves are yellowish-green in color and range in length from 7.5 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches). 

Its cones are asymmetrical, elongated, conical, and arranged in three to five whorls. They are 7.5 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) long, recurved, serotinous, and persistent, with prickles and massive, knobby scales on the upper sides. 

The bark is greyish brown, with shallow furrows separated by scaly ridges on the surface. The Knobcone Pine grows in chaparrals, coniferous forests, and woodlands in western Oregon and Baja California at elevations less than 1,900 meters (6,200 feet). 

It is most common in the Klamath Mountains and the northern Coast Ranges of California, with a patchy distribution elsewhere. It prefers infertile, shallow, rocky soils, particularly serpentine soils. 

This species has a highly serotinous cone that requires fire to crack and allow the scales to open. Seed is quickly dispersed after a fire, though individual trees are quite susceptible to fire. 

It is shade-intolerant and, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, can form a hybrid with Pinus radiata. It serves no purpose and is not sought after as a timber species.

3. Foxtail Pine

• Common Name: Foxtail Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus baifouriana
• Mature Height: 30-60ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Ornamental

The Foxtail Pine is small to medium-sized, single-stemmed tree with a crooked crown and branches that spread out. 

Mature trees can grow to be up to 18 meters tall (60 feet). Its leaves are 2-4 cm long and are arranged in bundles of 5 (sometimes 4). 

The needles are dark green, stiff, and slightly curved, with scattered resin ducts and white stomatal lines on the inner surface. Its cones are reddish brown, pendant, egg-shaped to barrel-shaped, and range in length from 9 to 12.5 centimeters. 

On older trees, the bark is grey to reddish brown and deeply fissured, whereas younger trees have greyish-white bark. Foxtail Pine inhabits upper montane and subalpine coniferous forests and woodlands. 

It is one of the native pine trees in Califonia that is found only in California and has two subspecies: P. b. baifouriana in the Klamath Mountains and P. b. austrina in the southern Sierra Nevada. 

Both are found near the tree line at elevations ranging from 2,000 to 3,600 meters (6,700-12,000 feet). It is related to the Great Basin bristlecone pine, and the two species are only 20 miles apart in the southern Sierra Nevada. 

Natural hybrids are most likely the result of wind-blown pollen from the Sierra Nevada to the White Mountains.

4. Beach Pine

• Common Name: Beach Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus contorta ssp. Contorta
• Mature Height: 20-50ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Dune stabilization

The Beach Pine is a small to medium-sized tree that can reach a height of 15 meters (50 feet) and a diameter of 45 centimeters (18 inches). And, the crown is irregularly shaped and has many branches. 

The leaves are twisted, green, and 2.5-7.5 cm (1-3 inches) long, arranged in bundles of two. The cones are 4-5 cm (1.5-2 inches) long, asymmetrical, yellowish-brown to brown, and 4-5 cm (1.5-2 inches) long. The bark is fissured and thick. 

The Beach Pine is found in coastal and low-elevation montane coniferous forests from Alaska to Mendocino County, California. It’s most common on sandy soils and dunes but also on serpentine and other ultramafic soils. It is shade-intolerant and has little fire resistance. 

As a result, it is usually found in areas where there are no fires or where there are long intervals between fires. It has been used to stabilize dunes, and Native Americans used it to treat sores and sore throats. It is also referred to as the Shore Pine.

5. Lodgepole Pine

• Common Name: Lodgepole Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus contorta ssp. Murrayana
• Mature Height: 60-110ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Timber

The Lodgepole Pine is a medium-sized tree that can grow up to 33 meters (110 feet) tall and 45 centimeters (18 inches) in diameter.

Its crowns are narrow and its branches are short. he twisted, yellowish-green leaves range in length from 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1 to 3 inches) and are arranged in pairs. 

Cones range in shape from egg-shaped to spherical, are hanging, and range in color from yellowish brown to brown. They don’t produce serotonin and turn deciduous after two growing seasons. 

Thin, scaly, and ranging from tan to grey, the bark of a fully mature tree is characteristic of its species. 

The Lodgepole Pine is a common tree in the coniferous woods of the highlands from Washington to Baja California. In the north, its minimum altitude is roughly 1,500 meters (5,000 feet), while in the south it is 3,500 meters (11,600 feet). 

It can grow in a wide range of conditions, but in rich soil, it often loses out to stronger tree species. Mountain pine beetles and wildfires happen often in the Pacific Northwest because the area is sensitive to both fire and shade. 

Logs of Lodgepole Pine are valuable for their usage in building and making furniture. Its common name, “tamarack,” is actually “eastern larch,” a conifer native to the areas bordering the Great Lakes and the Northeast.

It is one of the longest-living pine trees in California. The oldest trees can be up to 500-600 years old.

6. Coulter Pine

• Common Name: Coulter Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus coulteri
• Mature Height: 30-85ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Firewood, Lumber

The Coulter Pine is a medium-sized tree with heights ranging from 9 to 26 meters (30 to 85 feet) and diameters ranging from 30 to 75 centimeters (12 to 30 inches). 

It has a single, upright stem, and its crown is usually pyramidal if it grows in a dense stand, but more open and spread out if it grows in an open stand. 

This species has a short life span, with an average lifespan of about 100 years. It has three leaves that are stout, bluish-green to dark green, and measure 15 to 30 centimeters long. 

The cones are symmetrical and oblong to egg-shaped, 25 to 35 centimeters long, and frequently found in whorls of four. Cone scales are massive and sharp, like claws. Mature trees have thick, fissured bark with yellowish plates. 

The Coulter Pine is found in chaparrals, lower montane woodlands, and forests from Contra Costa County in the north to Baja California in the south, at elevations ranging from 150 to 2,100 meters (500 to 7,000 feet). 

It thrives on dry, south-facing slopes and ridges with serpentine soils. It is shade-intolerant as a mature tree, though younger trees can thrive in some shade. It is resistant to fire and drought. 

The Coulter Pine has serotinous cones, which means that its resin seal must be cracked by the heat of a fire for the cone scales to open and release their seeds. This species has been used as food by Native Americans and is also used for firewood and lumber.

7. Limber Pine

• Common Name: Limber Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus flexilis
• Mature Height: 25-50ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Wildlife Nutrition

The Limber Pine is a small to medium-sized tree that usually has one straight trunk but sometimes it can also have multiple stems and grow in a crooked way. 

At the tree line, it can look like a small group of shrub-like plants that are 30–90 cm (1–3 feet) tall. It has a wide, round crown, and many of its branches reach almost to the ground. 

On average, a mature tree is 7.5–15 m (25–50 ft) tall and 30–75 cm (12–30 in) in diameter, but some can grow as tall as 17.7 m (58 ft) and as wide as 2.2 m (87 in). It has 5-9 cm (2-3.5 in.) long needles that grow in groups of five and are tufty at the ends of the branches. 

The needles are dark green and stiff, and all of their surfaces show stomatal bloom. The cones are egg-shaped to cylinder-shaped, hanging, yellowish-brown, and range in length from 2 to 7 inches (5 to 18 cm). 

The twigs are thick and bendable, and the bark on mature trees is 4-5 cm (1.5-2 in.) thick, dark brown, deeply furrowed, and broken into scaly rectangular plates. 

The Limber Pine grows in the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, northeastern Oregon, and some parts of California. It lives in dry montane and subalpine coniferous forests and woodlands at elevations between 900 m (3,000 ft) and 3,300 m (11,000 ft). 

It doesn’t like shade and doesn’t mind fire much, but its seeds are important food for wildlife. It grows in a way that looks like the whitebark pine, but its cones are different.

8. Jeffrey Pine

• Common Name: Jeffrey Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus jeffreyi
• Mature Height: 80-140ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Lumber and moldings

The Jeffrey Pine is a single-stemmed tree that can grow up to 140 feet tall and 120 centimeters in diameter (4 feet). It can live up to 500 years and has long, clearly stems with branches that are evenly spaced to make a round, open crown. 

The leaves are bluish-green and 19 to 28 centimeters (7.5 to 11 inches) long. They come in groups of three. And the cones range in shape from egg-shaped to cylindrical and are brown to reddish-brown. 

The tips of the twigs are bluish-green, and the bark on mature trees is up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) thick and made of scales that look like puzzle pieces. It might smell like butterscotch, vanilla, or pineapple. 

The Jeffrey Pine lives in mountainous and subalpine coniferous forests in southwestern Oregon, western Nevada, and Baja California. It grows in pure stands east of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. 

It likes harsh places, like serpentine soils and rocky areas at high elevations. Its height ranges from 60 meters (200 feet) to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) (10,000 feet). 

Jeffrey Pine doesn’t like being in the shade and is resistant to fire, but it doesn’t like extreme temperatures. It’s also very sensitive to ozone pollution, which has done a lot of damage to it in southern California. 

It is used to make lumber and moldings, and birds like Clark’s Nutcracker eat its seeds. Deer and elk also eat the stems and roots of this plant. Lastly, it gives birds a place to hide and helps mammals stay warm.

9. Sugar Pine

• Common Name: Sugar Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus lambertiana
• Mature Height: 175-200ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Lumber, Moldings

Sugar pines are not only the tallest pine trees in California but also in the world. It may reach a height of 61 meters (200 feet) and a diameter of 1.5 meters (60 inches). 

Its transparent stem is topped with long, horizontal branches that drape long, dangling cones in late summer and fall. The needles are dark green to bluish green in color, with white stomatal bloom on all sides, and grow in groups of five. 

Cones are cylindrical, measuring 25-60 cm in length and 10-12.5 cm in diameter. The bark of mature trees can be up to 10 cm thick, with wide plates and puzzle-piece-like reddish-brown to purplish scales. 

The bark of younger trees is grayish-green. The Sugar Pine can be found in montane and subalpine coniferous forests, woods, and chaparrals throughout much of California. 

It can also be found in the western Great Basin, northern Oregon, and Baja California. It thrives at elevations ranging from 300 to 3000 meters (1000-10000 feet). 

It has an intermediate shade tolerance, and older trees are immune to surface fires, while white pine blister rust can impact all ages. Its wood is utilized to produce lumber and moldings, and its resin was used for repairs and nourishment by Native Americans and settlers.

10. Bristlecone Pine

• Common Name: Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus longaeva
• Mature Height: 30-40ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Ornamental

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is a short, strong tree with numerous stems that are sometimes distorted. It typically grows to heights of 9-12 meters (30-40 feet) and diameters of 30-180 cm when mature (1-6 feet). 

This species has an extremely long life span, with some individuals living for up to 5,000 years. Its needles are set in bundles of five and range in length from 12 to 40 mm. 

They are dark green, tough, and slightly curled. On their inner surface, they have resin droplets and white stomatal lines. Its cones are egg-shaped or barrel-shaped, reddish brown, and 5-12.5 cm long, with cones, and stalks less than 2 cm tall. 

Cone scales contain slender, persistent bristle-like prickles that can reach a length of 6 mm. The bark is a reddish-brown color. 

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is found in subalpine coniferous forests in the Great Basin regions of California, Nevada, and western Utah, at elevations ranging from 2,300-3,600 meters (7,500-12,000 feet). It is very common in California’s White Mountains, where it thrives on dolomitic soils. 

Although only 90 cm (3 feet) tall and 7.5 cm (3 in.) in diameter, one tree in the White Mountains is estimated to be 700 years old. It is frequently used as a decorative tree.

11. Singleleaf Pinyon

• Common Name: Singleleaf Pinyon
• Scientific Name: Pinus monophylla
• Mature Height: 15-50 ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Edible, Christmas trees, fence posts

The Singleleaf Pinyon is a low-growing, multi-trunked tree or shrub. It can grow to be up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall and 38 centimeters (15 inches) in diameter when mature. 

When it is young, it has a conical crown, but as it grows older, it has a rounded crown. Its leaves are 2.5-6 cm long and typically curled, and grow in bundles of one (occasionally two). 

Grayish-green needles are round in cross-section, thick, and pointed. Cones are egg-shaped, broad at the base, 4-11 cm long, and frequently upright. 

The scales are thick, and there are two enormous egg-shaped seeds inside. Mature tree bark is dark brown, wrinkled, and has small, scaly ridges. The Singleleaf Pinyon is the most prevalent tree in inland coniferous woodlands throughout the Great Basin. 

It can also be found in California’s Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada, as well as sporadic populations west of the Sierra Nevada crest. Also, these trees thrive in both pure stands and mixed woodlands, with the most common companion being the Utah juniper. 

The species is found at elevations ranging from 900 m (3,000 ft) to 3,000 m. (10,000 ft). Hybridization with 2-needled P. edulis or 5-needled P. juarezensis may have resulted in two-leaved variants of this species in southeastern and southern California. 

The seeds of the Singleleaf Pinyon are edible and have historically provided nourishment for Native Americans and wildlife. It is also used to make fence posts and as a Christmas tree. The species cannot tolerate shade and is extremely flammable.

12. Western White Pine

• Common Name: Western White Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus monticola
• Mature Height: 120-180ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Lumber, moldings

The Western White Pine is a tall, single-stemmed tree that can reach heights of 55 meters (180 feet) and diameters of 120 centimeters (48 inches). 

Its long, clear stem and evenly spaced branches make up its narrow, thin, and open crown. 

Needles are 5-10 cm long, bluish green, and with white stomatal bloom only on the inner surfaces. The cones are 12.5-25 cm long and 4-5 cm wide, cylindrical, hanging, and yellowish brown. 

They are usually near the ends of branches and have spherical scales with thin edges and no prickles. In mature trees, the bark is thin, greyish brown, and separated into rectangular plates. 

It is light brown to greyish green on young trees. From California north into the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains, this tree can be found in montane and subalpine coniferous forests. 

It grows mostly in the upper montane zone or above, between 1500 and 3300 meters in California (5000-11000 feet). The shade tolerance and fire resistance of Western white pine are intermediate. 

Its population has declined because it is susceptible to the invasive disease of white pine blister rust. 

This tree’s non-resinous wood is used to make timber and moldings. Squirrels, mice, and numerous birds need Western white pine trees for cover and food.

13. Bishop Pine

• Common Name: Bishop Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus muricata
• Mature Height: 40-80ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Minor timber uses

Bishop Pine is a medium-sized tree that grows from 12 to 24 meters (40 to 80 feet) tall and has a trunk diameter of 60 to 90 centimeters (2 to 3 feet). It doesn’t live long, and most trees die before they are 80 to 100 years old. 

It can be recognized by its open, irregularly branched, round crown. Bishop Pine needles are twisted, thick, and 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) long. In northern California, they are bluish-green, but in the south, they are green or yellowish-green. 

Bishop Pines have egg-shaped cones that are not the same on both sides. They grow in groups of 3 to 5 and last for many years. They are between 2 and 4 inches long and brown when they are new. As they age, they turn grey while still on the tree. 

The scales are thick and end in either flat or curved spines. The bark of old trees is thick, brown, and furrowed in strange patterns. 

Bishop Pine grows in California, from Humboldt County to Santa Barbara County. It also grows in Baja California and on Cedros Island.

14. Ponderosa Pine

• Common Name: Ponderosa Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus ponderosa
• Mature Height: 100-180ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Timber, Wildlife cover and food, Resin

The Ponderosa Pine is a tall, single-stemmed tree that can grow up to 55 meters (180 feet) tall and up to 120 centimeters (4.7 feet) in diameter (4 feet). It is among the longest-living pine trees in California with a life of up to 600 years. 

It has a clear stem with evenly spaced branches, and the top of the tree is cone-shaped and somewhat open. 

The leaves come in groups of three and are 10–28 cm long. The sheaths around the groups of leaves stay in place. Cones are symmetrical, egg-shaped to conical, and range in length from 7.5 to 16 cm. They fall off in the fall, and their stalks are less than 2.5 cm long. 

Mature trees’ bark can be up to 10 cm thick and is made of broad plates with scales that fit together like puzzle pieces and are separated by deep furrows. Young trees have plates and furrows that are reddish-brown and black, while older trees often get plates and scales that are yellowish-brown. 

The Ponderosa Pine grows in much of western North America, from the Sacramento Valley in California to the Sierra Nevada and even east of the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains. 

It lives in coniferous mountain forests, woods, and chaparrals and does best between 500 and 9,500 feet above sea level. It crosses with Jeffrey pines and Washoe pines. It doesn’t like the shade and can’t be burned. 

It is a valuable wood species and gives wildlife a lot of shelter and food. Native Americans used the tree’s resin as medicine.

15. Parry Pinyon

• Common Name: Parry Pinyon
• Scientific Name: Pinus quadrifolia
• Mature Height: 15-35ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Firewood, Fence Posts, and Edible Seeds

The Parry Pinyon is a spreading tree with short trunks that can grow as tall as 11 meters (35 feet) and as wide as 60 centimeters (24 inches) (24 inches). It can live for 500 years or more. 

The top of a young tree looks like a pyramid, but the top of an old tree is more round. It has 2.5 to 5-centimeter-long needles that come in groups of four (or sometimes three or five) and has a white stomatal bloom on the inside and a bluish-green color on the outside. 

The cones are egg-shaped to round, stand up most of the time, and are between 3 and 7.5 centimeters long. The tips of the scales are thick and hold the seeds. Mature trees have thin, reddish-brown bark with small, scale-like ridges. 

The Parry Pinyon grows all over the northern part of Baja California. In California, it grows in chaparrals and mixed woodlands in Riverside County and the southeast corner of San Diego County. 

It can live in thin, rocky soils from 1,200 to 2,600 meters above sea level (4,000-8,500 feet). The Parry Pinyon can’t stand being in the shade, but it can handle drought. Its thin bark and low branches make it easy for the fire to kill. 

The seeds of the Parry Pinyon are edible and have been for a long time. They were the main food source for Native Americans and other animals. It is also used as fence posts, firewood, and for other things.

16. Monterey Pine

• Common Name: Monterey Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus radiata
• Mature Height: 50-125ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Ornamental

The Monterey Pine is one of the rare pine trees in California. It is a medium-sized tree that usually grows between 15 meters (50 feet) and 38 meters (125 feet) tall and between 60 centimeters (2 feet) and 90 centimeters (3 feet) in diameter.

It has a single, straight, slightly bent stem, and a round crown. It has dark green leaves that are 10-15 cm (4-6 in) long and grow in groups of three (or sometimes two). It has egg-shaped cones that are set in whorls of three to five and curve backward. 

They are attractive and range in length from 7.5 to 14 centimeters (about 3 to 5.5 inches). The scales on the cones have tiny points, and the ones near the base are thick and round. When a tree is old, its bark is dark brown to black and has deep cracks. 

It grows in three different places: Ano Nuevo-Swanton, Monterey-Carmel, and Pico Creek-Cambria. Monterey Pine has been planted on millions of acres around the world, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, because it grows quickly and can be used to improve genetics. 

This species is also likely to mix with Pinus attenuata and Pinus muricata in the wild. It can handle some shade and some fire, and for the same reasons, it is often planted as an ornamental. Native people are in danger from things like urbanization, putting out fires, and diseases like pine pitch canker.

17. Ghost Pine

• Common Name: Ghost Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus sabiniana
• Mature Height: 40-80ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Fuelwood, medicinal

The Ghost Pine is a medium-sized tree with a single trunk that can reach a height of 24 meters (80 feet) and a diameter of 90 centimeters (36 inches). 

It has crooked, leaning trunks and a sparse, open crown with large branches that are not evenly spaced. It has grayish-green leaves that are 18–43 cm long and flexible. 

The leaves grow in groups of three and the cones are brown, oblong to egg-shaped, and 15–25 cm long. They are more or less the same size on both sides. 

The bark is a dark grey color and has deep cracks. The Ghost Pine is only found in California. Its range goes from the Salmon River in Siskiyou County to Piru Creek in Ventura County, with a big gap in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. 

It is often found in foothill forests and chaparrals, usually near Blue Oak. It doesn’t like being in the shade and needs fire to grow. 

Mature trees are easily burned, but fire is needed to get rid of other plants and make good places for seeds to grow. Ghost Pine forests are good places for wildlife to spend the winter. 

Native Americans ate the large seeds of the ghost pine, as well as parts of its cones, bark, and buds. They also used the resin from the tree to treat illnesses. It is also called foothill pine, bull pine, digger pine, and grey pine, among other names.

18. Torrey Pine

• Common Name: Torrey Pine
• Scientific Name: Pinus torreyana
• Mature Height: 25-60ft
• Flowers: Cones
• Uses: Ornamental

The Torrey Pine is a small to medium-sized tree that usually grows to a height of 7.5 to 18 meters (25 to 60 feet) and a diameter of 30 to 60 centimeters (12 to 24 inches) (24 inches). 

It has single stems that stand straight up and a crown that is open and spreads out with many large branches. In more open areas, the plant can grow into a shrub. It doesn’t live very long; the oldest person ever seen was about 150 years old. 

The thick, grayish-green to bluish-green leaves are grouped in groups of five and range in length from 15 centimeters (6 inches) to 25 centimeters (10 inches). Bundle sheaths stick around. 

The cones are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) to 15 centimeters (6 inches) long and have a broad egg-shaped to spherical shape. 

They have a weak scent of serotonin and don’t fall off. Cone stalks can be up to 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) long, and the scales are thick, with pyramid-shaped tips and small prickles. The bark of old trees is thick and cracked, with flat ridges of reddish-brown scales. 

The Torrey Pine is a rare plant that is only found in California. It grows in two places near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island. Less than 9,000 members of this species live in coastal woodlands and chaparrals. 

They have adapted to areas with high humidity, moderate temperatures, and dry, unproductive soils. 

They grow between 60 meters (200 feet) and 150 meters (500 feet) above sea level (500 feet). The species can live in shade and doesn’t seem to be affected by surface fires, but there isn’t much genetic diversity among them. 

Torrey pine is grown as a decorative plant, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it has been tested to see how good it is as a wood source.

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Sources

The Regional Gardening team makes sure that the information in our articles is accurate by only using sources that are known to be trustworthy. Some of these sources are peer-reviewed journals from government agencies, well-known universities, and scientific research organizations.

1. California Forests, University Of California
2. California Native Plant Society
3. Native Plants, California Department Of Fish & Wildlife
4. California Natural Diversity Database