Pinus engelmannii
Pinus sabiniana
Apache pine, Arizona longleaf pine, pino real
California foothill pine, digger pine, foothill pine, ghost, gray, gray pine, or foothill pine
dark brown, at maturity deeply furrowed, ridges becoming yellowish, of narrow, elongate, scaly plates.
dark brown to near black, irregularly and deeply furrowed, ridges irregularly rectangular or blocky, scaly, often breaking away, bases of furrows and underbark orangish.
straight to ascending;
twigs stout (1–2cm thick), pale gray-brown, aging darker brown, rough.
often ascending;
cone-bearing branchlets stout, twigs comparatively slender, both pale purple-brown and glaucous, aging gray, rough.
ovoid-conic, to 2cm, resinous;
scale margins pale fringed.
ovoid, red-brown, ca. 1cm, resinous;
scale margins white-fringed.
3(–5) per fascicle, spreading-ascending, often drooping, forming a brush at twig tips, persisting 2 years, (20–)25–45cm × 2mm, dull green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins coarsely serrulate, apex conic-subulate;
sheath 3–4cm, base persistent.
mostly 3 per fascicle, drooping, persisting 3–4 years, 15–32cm × 1.5mm, slightly twisted, dull blue-green, all surfaces with pale, narrow stomatal lines, margins serrulate, apex short-acuminate;
sheath to 2.4cm, base persistent.
cylindric, ca. 25mm, yellow to yellow-brown.
ellipsoid, 10–15mm, yellow.
cones maturing in 2 years and shedding seeds soon thereafter, not persistent, terminal, sometimes curved, often asymmetric, lance-ovoid before opening, ovoid when open, 11–14cm, light dull brown, nearly sessile or short-stalked;
apophyses rhombic, somewhat to quite elongate, strongly raised toward outer cone base, sometimes curved, strongly cross-keeled, narrowed to thick, curved, broadly triangular-based umbo, this often producing outcurved claw.
cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds soon thereafter, persisting to 7 years, pendent, massive, heavy, nearly symmetric, ovoid before opening, broadly to narrowly ovoid or ovoid-cylindric when open, 15–25cm, dull brown, resinous, stalks to 5cm;
apophyses elongate, curved, continuous with umbos to form long, upcurved claws to 2cm.
=24.
= 24.
Pinus engelmannii
Pinus sabiniana
In general appearance Pinus engelmannii much resembles P. palustris with its short-persistent, long leaves (but in this species drooping) and in its tendency to form a grass stage. It has a deep taproot as do P. palustris and P. ponderosa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Seeds of Pinus sabiniana were an important food source for many Indian groups in California, sometimes collectively referred to as "Digger Indians." Because the name "Digger" has been used as a derogatory ethnic term, many people prefer to avoid using the vernacular name Digger pine.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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