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Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana
  
About Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) 9 Nurseries Carry This Plant Pinus lambertiana (commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine) is the tallest and most massive pine tree, and has the longest cones of any conifer. It is native to the mountains of the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon through California to Baja California. The sugar pine occurs in the mountains of Oregon and California in the western United States, and Baja California in northwestern Mexico; specifically the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, and Sierra San Pedro Martir. The sugar pine is the largest species of pine, commonly growing to 40-60 meters (130-200 ft) tall, exceptionally up to 82 m (269 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 1. 5-2. 5 m (4. 9-8. 2 ft), exceptionally 3. 5 m (11 ft). Pinus lambertiana is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves ('needles') are in bundles (fascicles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 6-11 cm (2. 4-4. 3 in)ch) long. Sugar pine is notable for having the longest cones of any conifer, mostly 25-50 cm (9. 8-19. 7 in) long, exceptionally up to 66 cm (26 in) long (although the cones of the Coulter pine are more massive). The seeds are 10-12 mm (0. 39-0. 47 in) long, with a 2-3 cm (0. 79-1. 18 in) long wing that aids wind dispersal. The seeds of the sugar pine are also a type of pine nut and are edible.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
40 - 230 ft tall

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Brown

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 


Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens

Maintenance
Maintenance
Prune in winter when wood boring insects are less active.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: 2-3 mos. stratification (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 15*, 16, 17

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Forests

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 9.7" - 155.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 5.84", Coldest Month: 11.6" - 54.1", Hottest Month: 34.8" - 79.3", Humidity: 0.34" - 25.81", Elevation: 26" - 13935"

Alternative Names
Common Names: California Sugar Pine, Pino De Azúcar


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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