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Pinus monticola

Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don

Western White Pine

Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Synonym(s): Pinus strobus var. monticola

USDA Symbol: PIMO3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

This 45-150 ft., sometimes taller, evergreen forms a slender crown in thick stands or becomes more open and spreading when exposed. Branchlets are stout, bearing soft-textured, blue-green needles in groups of five. Bark is gray and smooth at first, becoming checked with flaking scales.

An important timber tree, Western White Pine is also a leading match wood, because of its uniformly high grade without knots, twisted grain or discoloration. It is one of the world's largest pines; the champion near Medford, Oregon, is 239' (72.8 m) tall. White pine blister rust, caused by an introduced fungus (Cronartium ribicola), is a serious disease of this and other 5-needle white pines; a resistant strain is being developed.

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Fascicled
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 225 feet tall. Often much shorter
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr

Distribution

USA: CA , ID , MT , NV , OR , UT , WA
Canada: BC
Native Distribution: Mts. of e. CA & w. NV to s. B.C. & w. Alt.
Native Habitat: Vartiety of mt. sites between 2000-9000 ft.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: Strongly susceptible to white pine blister rust.

Propagation

Description: Grow from seed.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:			FACU							FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Pinus monticola in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Pinus monticola in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Pinus monticola

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-09-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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