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limber pine

sugar pine

Habit Trees to 20 m tall; mature crown conic to rounded. Trees to 70 m tall; mature crown conic to broad and flattened with horizontal branches.
Buds

ovoid; reddish brown, resinous.

ovoid; reddish brown, resinous.

Leaves

in clusters of 5, upcurved, 3–6 cm × 1–1.5 mm, dark green;

margins entire to finely serrulate;

abaxial surfaces with faint stomatal bands;

adaxial surfaces with obvious stomatal bands;

apex acute;

sheaths deciduous.

in clusters of 5; straight, slightly twisted, 5–9 cm × 1–2 mm; bluish green;

margins finely serrulate;

abaxial surfaces with faint stomatal lines;

adaxial surfaces with obvious white stomatal lines;

apex acute;

sheaths deciduous.

Pollen cones

ellipsoid-cylindrical, 1.2–1.6 cm long, red or yellow.

ellipsoid-cylindrical, 10–15 mm long, yellow.

Seeds

oval, compressed, 6–12 mm long, brown to reddish brown, sometimes with spots; wingless or nearly so.

ovoid, 10–20 mm long, brown;

wings twice as long as body.

Trunks

to 2 m in diameter; straight, sometimes contorted;

bark gray; smooth, becoming ridged with rectangular scaly plates with age;

branches horizontal to ascending, usually persistent to base;

twigs reddish brown and pubescent when young, becoming gray with age; smooth or nearly so with some bud scars.

to 3 m in diameter; straight;

bark smooth and gray when young, brown to reddish brown, furrowed with long scaly plates when mature;

branches horizontal to ascending; lower branches sometimes drooping;

twigs green to brown and pubescent when young, becoming glabrous and gray with age; smooth with bud scars flush to surface or nearly so.

Seed cones

ovoid to ovoid-cylindrical, symmetric, 7–15 cm long, light brown; horizontal to pendent, sessile to less than 2 cm long, maturing in 2 years, opening at maturity;

umbos terminal; less than 2 mm;

prickles absent.

cylindrical, symmetric, 30–45 cm long, pendent;

stalks 5–16 cm long, maturing in 2 years, opening at maturity;

umbos terminal, slightly excurved;

prickles absent.

2n

=24.

=24.

Pinus flexilis

Pinus lambertiana

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

High altitude montane forests. 1500–2500 m. BW. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to Alberta, east to NE, southeast to NM. Native.

In Oregon, Pinus flexilis is found only in the Wallowa Mountains. Morphologically, it is similar to P. albicaulis but is distinguished from the latter by its larger cones that open at maturity.

Montane forests. 200–2100 m. Casc, CR, ECas, Sisk. CA, NV; south to Mexico. Native.

Pinus lambertiana is the largest of all pine species. Its large cones, often weighing several pounds, in combination with leaves in clusters of 5, distinguish it from all other pine species in Oregon.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 121
Stephen Meyers
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 122
Stephen Meyers
Sibling taxa
P. albicaulis, P. attenuata, P. attenuata x Pinus radiata, P. balfouriana, P. contorta, P. jeffreyi, P. lambertiana, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. pinaster, P. ponderosa, P. sabiniana, P. sylvestris
P. albicaulis, P. attenuata, P. attenuata x Pinus radiata, P. balfouriana, P. contorta, P. flexilis, P. jeffreyi, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. pinaster, P. ponderosa, P. sabiniana, P. sylvestris
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