The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

pin rigide, pitch pine

Washoe pine

Habit Trees to 31m; trunk to 0.9m diam., straight or crooked, commonly with adventitious sprouts; crown rounded or irregular. Trees to 60m; trunk to 1m diam., straight; crown pyramidal.
Bark

red-brown, deeply and irregularly furrowed, with long, irregularly rectangular, flat, scaly ridges, resin pockets absent.

yellow-brown to reddish, fissured, plates scaly.

Branches

arching-spreading to ascending, poorly self-pruning; 2-year-old branchlets stout (mostly over 5mm thick), orange-brown, aging darker brown, rough.

spreading-ascending;

twigs stout, orangish, aging gray, rough.

Buds

ovoid to ovoid-cylindric, red-brown, ca. 1–1.5cm, resinous;

scale margins fringed, apex cuspidate.

ovoid, red-brown, 1.5–2cm, not resinous;

scale margins fringed.

Leaves

3(–5) per fascicle, spreading to ascending, persisting 2–3 years, 5–10(–15)cm × 1–1.5(–2)mm, straight, twisted, deep to pale yellow-green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins serrulate, apex abruptly subulate-acuminate;

sheath 0.9–1.2cm, base persistent.

(2–)3 per fascicle, spreading-ascending, persisting (2–)4–6(–7) years, 10–15cm × ca. 1.5mm, slightly twisted, gray-green, all surfaces with stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex acuminate;

sheath 1–2cm, base persistent.

Pollen cones

cylindric, ca. 20mm, yellow.

cylindric, 10–20mm, red-purple.

Seed(s)

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds soon thereafter or variously serotinous and long-persistent, often clustered, symmetric, conic to ovoid before opening, broadly ovoid with flat or slightly convex base when open, 3–9cm, creamy brown to light red-brown, sessile to short-stalked, base truncate, scales firm, with dark red-brown border on adaxial surface distally;

apophyses slightly raised, rhombic, with strong transverse keels;

umbo central, low-triangular, with slender, downcurved prickle.

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds soon thereafter, not persistent, spreading, slightly asymmetric, ovoid-conic before opening, broadly ovoid when open, 7–10cm, tan or pale red-brown, sessile, abaxial surface of scales darker and sharply contrasting in color with adaxial surface;

apophyses slightly raised, low pyramidal;

umbo central, narrowly pyramidal, tapering into short, reflexed, fine prickle.

2n

=24.

=24.

Pinus rigida

Pinus washoensis

Habitat Upland or lowland, sterile, dry to boggy soils Dry montane forests
Elevation 0–1400m (0–4600ft) 2100–2500m (6900–8200ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; GA; KY; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WV; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
Discussion

Pinus rigida often has poor form and is not valued highly as saw timber. It is fire successional, sprouts adventitiously, and is frequently shrubby in the northern part of its range. It is known to hybridize naturally with P. echinata.

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

Pinus washoensis often occurs in large stands and resembles P. jeffreyi. The number and posture of seed-cone scales fall within the ranges given for P. jeffreyi. The abaxial surface of these scales has a significantly darker pigmentation, however; such a color contrast is not apparent in P. jeffreyi. Forest geneticists have developed hybrids between P. washoensis and related yellow pines, but no natural hybrids have been observed. Some workers regard P. washoensis as closely related to—or even conspecific with--- P. ponderosa.

Of conservation concern.

(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. 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. 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. strobiformis, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. taeda, P. torreyana, P. virginiana
Name authority Miller: Gard. Dict., ed. 8 Pinus no. 10. (1768) H. Mason & Stockwell: Madroño 8: 62. (1945)
Web links