Ponderosa Pine
Encyclopedia
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine
native to western North America
. It was first described by David Douglas
in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane
. The ponderosa pine is the official state tree of the State of Montana.
plant association, the Ponderosa shrub forest
. Like most western pines, the ponderosa is associated with mountainous topography. It is found on the Black Hills
and on foothills and mid-height peaks of the northern, central and southern Rocky Mountains
as well as the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, and the Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
.
s of the gelechiid
moth
Chionodes retiniella.
Sources differ on the scent of the Ponderosa Pine. Some state that the Ponderosa Pine has no distinctive scent, while others state that the bark smells like vanilla if sampled from a furrow of the bark. Sources agree that the Jeffrey Pine
is more strongly scented than the Ponderosa Pine.
, and Mario Vaden, a professional arborist from Oregon. The tree was climbed on October 13, 2011 by Ascending The Giants (a tree climbing company in Portland, Oregon) and directly measured with tape-line at 268.29 ft (81.8 m) high. This Ponderosa Pine is now the tallest known pine. The previous tallest known pine was a Sugar Pine
.
literature, while some botanists historically treated them as distinct species. In modern botanical usage, they best match the rank of subspecies
, but not all of the relevant botanical combinations have been formally published.
The distributions of the subspecies, and that of the closely related Arizona Pine
(Pinus arizonica) are shown on the map. The numbers on the map correspond to the taxon numbers above and in the table below. The base map of the species range is from Critchfield & Little, Geographic Distribution of the Pines of the World, USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 991 (1966).
Before the distinctions between the North Plateau race and the Pacific race were fully documented, most botanists assumed that Ponderosa Pines in both areas were the same. So when two botanists from California found a distinct tree in western Nevada in 1948 with some marked differences from the Ponderosa Pine they were familiar with in California, they described it as a new species, Washoe Pine, Pinus washoensis. However, subsequent research has shown that this is merely a southern outlier of the typical North Plateau race of Ponderosa Pine.
Notes:
Taxon numbers refer to the map
Needles per fascicle - the most frequent number is in bold
Seedwing : seed length ratio - high numbers indicate a small seed with a long wing; low numbers a large seed with a short seedwing
, Grosmannia clavigera, attacks this species from the mouth of the Mountain Pine Beetle
.
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
native to western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was first described by David Douglas
David Douglas
David Douglas was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died.-Early life:...
in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. The ponderosa pine is the official state tree of the State of Montana.
Distribution
Pinus ponderosa is a dominant tree in the KuchlerA.W. Kuchler
A. W. Kuchler is an American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the USA. Some of this database has become digitized for integration into GIS mapping systems.-References:* *...
plant association, the Ponderosa shrub forest
Ponderosa shrub forest
Ponderosa shrub forest is a plant association and plant community found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada....
. Like most western pines, the ponderosa is associated with mountainous topography. It is found on the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
and on foothills and mid-height peaks of the northern, central and southern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
as well as the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, and the Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests
Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests are rare temperate forest assemblages associated with a limited range portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California. There are only three known small forests of this type, all situated in Santa Cruz County, California...
.
Description
The Ponderosa Pine has a very distinct bark. Unlike most conifers, it has an orange bark, with black lining the crevasses, where the bark "splits". This is most noticeable amongst older Ponderosa Pines. The tree can often be identified by its characteristic long needles that grow in tufts of two or three, depending on subspecies. Its needles are also the only known food of the caterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of the gelechiid
Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable...
moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
Chionodes retiniella.
Sources differ on the scent of the Ponderosa Pine. Some state that the Ponderosa Pine has no distinctive scent, while others state that the bark smells like vanilla if sampled from a furrow of the bark. Sources agree that the Jeffrey Pine
Jeffrey Pine
The Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...
is more strongly scented than the Ponderosa Pine.
Size
The National Register of Big Trees lists a Ponderosa Pine that is 235 ft (71.6 m) tall and 324 in (823 cm) in circumference. In January 2011, a Pacific Ponderosa Pine in Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon was measured with a laser to be 268.35 ft (81.8 m) high. The measurement was performed by Michael TaylorMichael Taylor (forester)
Michael W. Taylor is a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably Coast Redwoods. In 2006, Michael co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood now named "Hyperion"...
, and Mario Vaden, a professional arborist from Oregon. The tree was climbed on October 13, 2011 by Ascending The Giants (a tree climbing company in Portland, Oregon) and directly measured with tape-line at 268.29 ft (81.8 m) high. This Ponderosa Pine is now the tallest known pine. The previous tallest known pine was a Sugar Pine
Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...
.
Taxonomy
Modern forestry research identifies four different taxa of Ponderosa Pine, with differing botanical characters and adapted to different climatic conditions. These have been termed "geographic races" in forestryForestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
literature, while some botanists historically treated them as distinct species. In modern botanical usage, they best match the rank of subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, but not all of the relevant botanical combinations have been formally published.
Subspecies
- Pinus ponderosa subsp. ponderosa DouglasDavid DouglasDavid Douglas was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died.-Early life:...
ex C. Lawson - North Plateau Ponderosa Pine.- Range & climate: southeast British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Washington and OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
east of the Cascade RangeCascade RangeThe Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, northwestern NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and western MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Cool, relatively moist summers; very cold, snowy winters (except in the very hot and very dry summers of central Oregon, most notably near Bend, which also has very cold and generally dry winters).
- Range & climate: southeast British Columbia
- Pinus ponderosa subsp. scopulorum (Engelm.George EngelmannGeorge Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly-known; he was particularly active in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico.-Origins:George Engelmann was born in Frankfurt...
) E. Murray - Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine.- Range & climate: eastern MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, northern and central ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and eastern NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Warm, relatively dry summers; very cold, fairly dry winters.
- Range & climate: eastern Montana
- Pinus brachyptera Engelm.George EngelmannGeorge Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly-known; he was particularly active in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico.-Origins:George Engelmann was born in Frankfurt...
- Southwestern Ponderosa Pine- Range & climate: southern ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, southern UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, northern and central New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and westernmost TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The Gila WildernessGila WildernessGila Wilderness was designated the world's first wilderness area on June 3, 1924. Along with Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness, the wilderness is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The wilderness is approximately from north to south and east to west...
contains one of the world's largest and healthiest forests. Hot, relatively moist summers; mild winters.
- Range & climate: southern Colorado
- Pinus benthamiana Hartw.Karl Theodor HartwegKarl Theodor Hartweg was a German botanist. He collected numerous new species of plants in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and California in the United States, collecting for the London Horticultural Society...
- Pacific Ponderosa Pine- Range & climate: Washington and OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
west of the Cascade RangeCascade RangeThe Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and just into westernmost NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Hot, dry summers; mild wet winters.
- Range & climate: Washington and Oregon
The distributions of the subspecies, and that of the closely related Arizona Pine
Arizona Pine
Pinus arizonica, commonly known as the Arizona pine, is a medium-sized pine in northern Mexico, southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States. It is a tree growing to 25-35 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up . The needles are in bundles of 3, 4, or 5, with...
(Pinus arizonica) are shown on the map. The numbers on the map correspond to the taxon numbers above and in the table below. The base map of the species range is from Critchfield & Little, Geographic Distribution of the Pines of the World, USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 991 (1966).
Before the distinctions between the North Plateau race and the Pacific race were fully documented, most botanists assumed that Ponderosa Pines in both areas were the same. So when two botanists from California found a distinct tree in western Nevada in 1948 with some marked differences from the Ponderosa Pine they were familiar with in California, they described it as a new species, Washoe Pine, Pinus washoensis. However, subsequent research has shown that this is merely a southern outlier of the typical North Plateau race of Ponderosa Pine.
Distinguishing subspecies
| Taxon | 1 North Plateau | 2 Rocky Mts | 3 Southwest | 4 Pacific | 5 Arizona | 6 Storm's | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character | (ponderosa) | (scopulorum) | (brachyptera) | (benthamiana) | (arizonica) | (stormiae) | |
| Needles per fascicle | 3 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 3 | 4-5 | 3-5 | |
| Needle length | 10–22 cm | 8–17 cm | 12–21 cm | 15–30 cm | 12–22 cm | 20–30 cm | |
| Needle thickness | 1.7-2.2 mm | 1.5-1.7 mm | 1.6-1.9 mm | 1.3-1.7 mm | 1.0-1.1 mm | 1.0-1.2 mm | |
| Cone length | 5–11 cm | 5–9 cm | 5–10 cm | 7–16 cm | 5–9 cm | 6–11 cm | |
| Cone scale width | 14–19 mm | 16–20 mm | 14–19 mm | 18–23 mm | 15–18 mm | 12–17 mm | |
| Immature cone colour | purple | green | green | green | green | green | |
| Mature cone surface | matte | matte | glossy | glossy | glossy | matte | |
| Seedwing to seed length ratio | 1.9-2.5 | 2.1-3.4 | 3.0-3.5 | 3.0-4.7 | 2.8-3.2 | 3.0-3.5 | |
| Max tree height | 50 m | 40 m | 50 m | 81 m | 35 m | 20 m | |
| USDA hardiness zone | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Notes:
Taxon numbers refer to the map
Needles per fascicle - the most frequent number is in bold
Seedwing : seed length ratio - high numbers indicate a small seed with a long wing; low numbers a large seed with a short seedwing
Threats
Blue stain fungusBlue stain fungus
The blue stain fungus, Grosmannia clavigera, is a species of sac fungus. It spreads to Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and Whitebark pine trees from the body and a special structure in the heads of Mountain Pine Beetles...
, Grosmannia clavigera, attacks this species from the mouth of the Mountain Pine Beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
.
See also
- Ponderosa shrub forestPonderosa shrub forestPonderosa shrub forest is a plant association and plant community found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada....
- Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forestsMaritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forestsMaritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests are rare temperate forest assemblages associated with a limited range portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California. There are only three known small forests of this type, all situated in Santa Cruz County, California...