Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
Monterey Pine
Pinus radiata
  
About Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) 24 Nurseries Carry This Plant Pinus radiata, commonly known as Monterey Pine, is a coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50 - 100 ft in height in the wild, but up to 200 ft in cultivation in optimum conditions, with upward-pointing branches and a rounded top. The leaves ('needles') are bright green, in clusters of three (two in var. binata), slender, up to 3 inches long and having a blunt tip.

The cones are 3 to 6.5 inches long, brown, ovoid (egg-shaped), and usually set asymmetrically on a branch, attached at an oblique angle. The bark is fissured and dark grey to brown.

This pine is adapted to cope with stand-killing fire disturbance. Its cones are serotinous, that is, they remain closed until opened by the heat of a forest fire; the abundant seeds are then discharged to regenerate on the burned forest floor. The cones may also burst open in hot weather.

It is native to three very limited areas located in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties in California, and also to Guadalupe and Cedros Islands in Mexico. Although Monterey Pine is extensively cultivated around the world for lumber, the version of the tree used in the lumber industry is vastly different from the native tree. In its natural state, Monterey Pine is a rare and endangered tree; it is twisted, knotty and full of sap/resin and not suitable for lumber.

In its native range, Monterey Pine is associated with a characteristic flora and fauna. It is the co-dominant canopy tree, together with Cupressus macrocarpa which naturally occurs only in coastal Monterey County.

One of the pine forests in Monterey was the discovery site for Hickman's potentilla, an endangered species. Piperia yadonii, a rare species of orchid is endemic to the same pine forest adjacent to Pebble Beach. In its native range, Monterey Pine is a principal host for the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium littorum. A remnant Monterey Pine stand in Pacific Grove is a prime wintering habitat of the Monarch butterfly.

Grow this plant only along the coast well within the coastal fog bank. In inland areas, it will grow fast if given water but typically dies after around five years.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
49.2 - 196.9 ft tall
15 - 30 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Pyramidal, Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Brown, Cream

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter

Wildlife Supported
 


 

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10 - 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sand or sandstone. Soil PH: 4 - 7

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Maintenance
Maintenance
90 percent of the Monterey Pine in wild stands in Monterey Country are infected with pine pitch canker, caused by caused by Fusarium circinatum, a fungal disease.. Prune in winter when wood boring insects are less active.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment; 1 week stratification may improve germination. Stored seeds: 1-3 weeks stratification may improve germination (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Coastal bluffs and dunes, in the coastal fog belt

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 12.4" - 81.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 1.60", Coldest Month: 42.3" - 56.4", Hottest Month: 58.2" - 72.4", Humidity: 0.01" - 18.81", Elevation: 7" - 3288"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Insignis Pine, Pino Quebradizo


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


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In