The Jepson Herbarium
		University of California, Berkeley

Directory       News       Site Map       Home

Stem: young crown conic, mature often rounded or flat; branches ± whorled in young plants; young bark smooth, mature furrowed; bud ± conic, generally resinous.
Leaf: generally 2.5–35 cm, generally sessile, in bundles of (1)2–5; bundles 1 in axils of alternate, awl-like bracts, base in a sometimes deciduous, scaly sheath of bracts, generally persistent several yrs.
Seed cone: often whorled, generally maturing, opening 2nd yr, persistent on stem or not; stalk 0 or < 16 cm; bract included, fused to scale at least basally, minute; scale tip reflexed, elongated 3–7 cm or often with a rounded or angled, often prickled knob < 3 cm.
Seed: coat hard, woody or not.
2n=24.
94 species: n hemisphere. (Latin: pine) Pinus pinea L., stone pine (leaves 2 per bundle, 10–30 cm; seed cone 8–15 cm, maturing in 3 yrs) cultivated in Eur for over 6000 yrs for edible seeds (pine nuts), reportedly naturalized in SnFrB, n ChI.
Unabridged references: [Millar & Critchfield 1988 Madroño 35:39–53]
Unabridged note: Morphological, genetic study of relationships among Pinus jeffreyi, Pinus ponderosa, and Pinus washoensis indicates that the taxa should be classified as 2 species, Pinus jeffreyi and Pinus ponderosa, and that the latter comprises three vars.: Pinus ponderosa var. pacifica (new taxon), Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa, and Pinus ponderosa var. washoensis (new combination).

Key to Pinus

1. Lf-bundle sheath deciduous or mostly so; seed cone scale tip generally without prickle

2. Lvs generally < 5 per bundle

3. Lvs (3)4(5) per bundle ..... P. quadrifolia

3' Lvs generally 1–2 per bundle

4. Lvs generally 2 per bundle ..... P. edulis

4' Lvs generally 1 per bundle ..... P. monophylla

2' Lvs 5 per bundle

5. Seed cone generally closed, generally torn apart by animals, generally not on ground intact; seed wings persistent on scale ..... P. albicaulis

5' Seed cone opening and releasing seeds, not torn apart by animals, generally on ground intact (except for released seeds); seed wings persistent on scale or not

6. Seed cone scale thinnest at tip, without prickle

7. Seed cone stalk < 2 cm; seed wings narrow, generally persistent on scale ..... P. flexilis

7' Seed cone stalk > 2 cm; seed wings wide, deciduous from scale

8. Seed cone 20–60 cm; mature bark dark purple-brown ..... P. lambertiana

8' Seed cone 9–25 cm; mature bark dark gray to red-brown ..... P. monticola

6' Seed cone scale thickest at tip, with prickle

9. Scale knob tip prickle 1–6 mm; trunks often many ..... P. longaeva

9' Scale knob tip prickle <= 1 mm; trunks generally 1 ..... P. balfouriana

10. Lf ± yellow-green; bark red-brown, in ± square plates; s SNH ..... subsp. austrina

10' Lf ± blue-green; bark gray-brown, in ± narrow ridges; KR, NCoRH ..... subsp. balfouriana

1' Lf-bundle sheath persistent; seed cone scale tip with prickle, at least when immature (sometimes 0 at maturity)

11. Lvs 2 per bundle

12. Seed cone 5–9.7 cm; leaf generally 5–15 cm ..... P. muricata

12' Seed cone 2–6 cm; leaf 2.5–8.6 cm ..... P. contorta

13. Seed cone generally not opening, asymmetric ..... subsp. bolanderi

13' Seed cone opening, asymmetric or ± symmetric

14. Seed cone on stem many yrs after opening ..... subsp. contorta

14' Seed cone deciduous soon after opening ..... subsp. murrayana

11' Lvs 3 or 5 per bundle (2–5 in Pinus ponderosa)

15. Lvs 5 per bundle, often 3 in young trees ..... P. torreyana

16. Crown ± closed, generally wider than long, most open seed cones with combined length and width > 27 cm, width > length; light colored scale tips generally prominent; n ChI (Santa Rosa Island) ..... subsp. insularis

16' Crown ± open, generally longer than wide, most open seed cones with combined length and width < 27 cm, width <= length; light colored scale tips generally not prominent; s SCo (mostly Torrey Pines State Reserve) ..... subsp. torreyana

15' Lvs 3 per bundle (rarely 2 in Pinus ponderosa)

17. Proximal seed cone scale tips recurved, elongated 1.5–7 cm

18. Seed cone ± yellow; seed < wing; leaf rigid, not drooping ..... P. coulteri

18' Seed cone ± brown; seed > wing; leaf flexible, generally drooping ..... P. sabiniana

17' Proximal seed cone scale tips rarely recurved, then elongated < 3 cm

19. Seed cones on stems many yrs

20. Seed cone scale tips, except distal, with knob angled, > 2 cm ..... P. attenuata

20' Seed cone scale tips, except distal, with knob rounded, < 2 cm ..... P. radiata

19' Seed cones deciduous except stalks, proximal scales persistent

21. Bark crevices with definite odor of vanilla/banana, especially on warm days; scales of open seed cone ± crowded, generally not darker abaxially than adaxially; leaf gray-blue-green, glaucous; bark outer scales with ± pink inner surfaces; vegetative buds not resinous; seed cone generally 13–25 cm, scales each with a generally incurved prickle, bracts with white fringing hairs ..... P. jeffreyi

21' Bark crevices generally lacking odor of vanilla/banana; scales of open seed cone well separated to very crowded, generally darker abaxially than adaxially; leaf gray-green, shiny deep green, or light green; bark outer scales with ± yellow inner surfaces; vegetative buds resinous; seed cone 7–15(18) cm, scales each with a straight or outcurved prickle, bracts with light brown fringing hairs ..... P. ponderosa

22. Mature bark light to medium yellow-brown; maturing closed cones green; open mature cones generally 8–18 cm, scales abaxially black ..... var. pacifica

22' Mature bark generally medium to dark red- or yellow-brown; maturing closed cones ± green to dark purple; open mature cones 6–12(15) cm, scales abaxially brown with black striations or black

23. Immature seed cones green-brown to dark purple; mature open cones ovate to ± conic, 7–12(15) cm, scales abaxially generally black, occasionally brown with black striations; CaRH, n SNH, MP ..... var. ponderosa

23' Immature seed cones dark red-purple; mature open cones ovate or generally conic, generally 6–11 cm, scales abaxially generally brown with black striations, occasionally black; CaRH, n SNH, Wrn ..... var. washoensis

Contact/Feedback

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.