Habitat

• native to western North America
• hardy to zone 3

Habit and Form

• an evergreen tree
• narrow, upright, oval form in youth opens up into an irregular crown
• 50' to 80' tall
• 30' wide
• fine to medium texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• evergreen, simple needles
• needles in 3's
• 8" to 10" long
• light green needle color
• minutely serrated margins
• sharply pointed apex

Autumn Foliage

• same as summer foliage

Flowers

• purple male flowers
• red female flowers
• bloom in late March
• not ornamentally important

Fruit

• oval cone
• 4" long
• reddish brown in color persist
• showy
• often paired

Bark

• thick, fire resistant bark
• yellowish brown twigs
• brownish black furrowed mature bark
• vanilla scent when bruised

Culture

• full sun is best
• prefers well-drained, acidic, deep, moist soil
• drought tolerant
• transplant B&B
• salt tolerant

Landscape Uses

• lumber
• windbreaker
• specimen
• highway buffer
• mass plantings

Liabilities

• needle cast
• bark beetle
• pitch canker

ID Features

• needles in 3's
• oblong bud with appressed resinous scales
• reddish brown buds
• minutely serrated and sharply pointed needles
• vanilla scent to stems when bruised

Propagation

• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

• none