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Jeffrey pine

Chihuahua white pine, Mexican white pine, pino enano, Southwestern white pine

Habit Trees to 61m; trunk to 2.5m diam., usually straight; crown conic to rounded. Trees to 30m; trunk to 0.9m diam., slender, straight; crown conic, becoming rounded to irregular.
Bark

yellow-brown to cinnamon, deeply furrowed and cross-checked, forming large irregular scaly plates.

gray, aging red-brown, furrowed, with narrow, irregular, scaly ridges.

Branches

spreading-ascending;

twigs stout (to 2cm thick), purple-brown, often glaucous, aging rough.

spreading-ascending;

twigs slender, pale red-brown, puberulous or glabrous, sometimes glaucous, aging gray or gray-brown, smooth.

Buds

ovoid, tan to pale red-brown, 2–3cm, not resinous;

scale margins conspicuously fringed.

ellipsoid, red-brown, ca. 1cm, resinous.

Leaves

3 per fascicle, spreading-ascending, persisting (2–)4–6(–7) years, 12–22(–25)cm × ca. 1.5–2mm, slightly twisted, gray- to yellow-green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex acute to acuminate;

sheath (1–)1.5–2.5(–3)cm, base persistent.

5 per fascicle, spreading to ascending-upcurved, persisting 3–5 years, 4–9cm × 0.6–1mm, straight, slightly twisted, pliant, dark green to blue-green, abaxial surface without evident stomatal lines, adaxial surfaces conspicuously whitened by narrow stomatal lines, margins sharp, razorlike and entire to finely serrulate, apex narrowly acute to short-subulate;

sheath 1.5–2cm, shed early.

Pollen cones

lance-cylindric, 20–35mm, yellow to yellow- or purple-brown or yellow.

cylindric, ca. 6–10mm, pale yellow-brown.

Seed(s)

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, nearly terminal, spreading, slightly asymmetric at base, ovoid-conic before opening, cylindro-ovoid when open, (10–)15–30cm, light red-brown, nearly sessile or on stalks to 0.5cm, abaxial surface of scales not darker than or sharply contrasting in color with adaxial surface, scales in low spirals (as compared to Pinus ponderosa) of 8 or more per row as viewed from side, those of cones just prior to and after cone fall not so spreading and deflexed, thus not so much separated from adjacent scales;

apophyses slightly thickened and raised, not keeled;

umbo central, slightly raised, with short, slender, reflexed prickle.

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, pendent, symmetric, lance-cylindric before opening, broadly lance-cylindric when open, 15–25cm, creamy brown to light yellow-brown, stalks to 6cm;

apophyses somewhat thickened, strongly cross-keeled, tip reflexed;

umbo terminal, low.

2n

=24.

=24.

Pinus jeffreyi

Pinus strobiformis

Habitat High, dry montane forests mostly above the Pinus ponderosa zone Arid to moist summit elevations, montane forests
Elevation 2000–2500m (6600–8200ft) 1900–3000m (6200–9800ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; Mexico in Baja California
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from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
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Discussion

Pinus jeffreyi has a form very similar to that of P. ponderosa, but it is a smaller species when compared with sympatric populations of the latter. It is cut and sold under the same name as P. ponderosa, but the sweetish odor of the fresh-cut wood contrasts sharply with the turpentine odor of ponderosa pine. The resin chemistry of the two species is significantly different.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

In the northern part of the range, Pinus strobiformis overlaps P. flexilis and reportedly hybridizes with it. On average P. strobiformis has longer, more slender leaves and thinner, more spreading-tipped apophyses than are found in P. flexilis, and stomatal bands are not evident on the abaxial surface of its leaves.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pinaceae > Pinus Pinaceae > Pinus
Sibling taxa
P. albicaulis, P. aristata, P. attenuata, P. balfouriana, P. banksiana, P. cembroides, P. clausa, P. contorta, P. coulteri, P. echinata, P. edulis, P. elliottii, P. engelmannii, P. flexilis, P. glabra, P. lambertiana, P. leiophylla, P. longaeva, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. palustris, P. ponderosa, P. pungens, P. quadrifolia, P. radiata, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. sabiniana, P. serotina, P. strobiformis, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. taeda, P. torreyana, P. virginiana, P. washoensis
P. albicaulis, P. aristata, P. attenuata, P. balfouriana, P. banksiana, P. cembroides, P. clausa, P. contorta, P. coulteri, P. echinata, P. edulis, P. elliottii, P. engelmannii, P. flexilis, P. glabra, P. jeffreyi, P. lambertiana, P. leiophylla, P. longaeva, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. palustris, P. ponderosa, P. pungens, P. quadrifolia, P. radiata, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. sabiniana, P. serotina, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. taeda, P. torreyana, P. virginiana, P. washoensis
Synonyms P. deflexa, P. jeffreyi var. deflexa, P. ponderosa var. jeffreyi P. ayacahuite var. brachyptera, P. ayacahuite var. reflexa, P. ayacahuite var. strobiformis, P. flexilis var. reflexa, P. reflexa
Name authority Greville & Balfour: in A. Murray bis, Bot. Exped. Oregon 8: 2 plates. (1853) Engelmann: in Wislizenus, Mem. Tour N. Mexico 102. (1848)
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