Pine, Western White
Pinus monticola
Pinaceae - Pine

Description

Leaves: Bluish-green with white, dotted lines; evergreen needles; in dense clusters, 5 needles per fascicle; 2" to 4-1/2" in length; slender, straight, flexible, and soft; edges finely toothed; stomata in rows along sides; needles persist for 3 or 4 years; sheath deciduous.

Twigs/buds: Twigs rusty colored and hairy initially; red-brown to purple-brown and hairless later on; thin. Buds brownish, slender, oblong to egg-shaped, blunt-tipped, 1/2" in length; scales overlapping.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers monoecious; male flowers yellow, female flowers red-purple and clustered. Fruit a cone; green or purple when immature, brown later; long (4" to 15"), slender, hanging; narrowly cone-shaped to cylindrical; slightly curved; cones fall in winter (not persistent); stalk long (nearly 1"); scales thin, not armed, in spiral rows, and curled back when cone is dry and open; seeds red-brown, 1/4" in length, have wings about 1" in length, shed after cones mature.

Bark: Light gray or grayish-green, thin, and smooth when young; dark gray to almost black and thick with age; scaly, plated (rectangular to hexagonal), longitudinally furrowed, and horizontally creviced on mature trees.

Wood: Very important; similar to that of eastern white pine (P. strobus); creamy white to yellow or light brown; soft, light weight, weak to moderately strong; even-grained; not resinous; heartwood somewhat resistant to decay; used for building, construction (e.g., doors, siding, and trim), planing mill products, carving, and especially wooden matches.

General: Native to the moist forests of the northern Rockies from British Columbia to California, Idaho, and Montana. Form is somewhat narrow, though it can be wide, and varies from symmetrical to one-sided; has drooping, slender branches. Tall, reaching heights from 60' to 100' under cultivation. Prefers moist, rich soils, but can do well on dry, sandy sites also. Prefers sun and is moderately shade tolerant. Susceptible to white pine blister rust.

Landscape Use: Sometimes planted in Utah and I hear it does well, though I have not seen it. Rarely cultivated. Similar to eastern white pine (P. strobus), but differs in having cones 4" to 15" long and evergreen needles that persist for 3 or 4 years. Zones 5(3-4?)-8.

Characteristics

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