- published: 10 Jan 2012
- views: 10028585
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. It is native to the mountains of the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon through California to Baja California.
The sugar pine is the largest species of pine, commonly growing to 40–60 meters (130–200 feet) tall, exceptionally up to 82 m (269 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 1.5-2.5 m (5–8 ft), exceptionally 3.5 m (11 ft). Tallest ever recorded was "Yosemite Giant", an 82.05 m (269.2 ft) tall specimen in Yosemite National Park, which died from bark beetle attack in 2007. Tallest known living specimens today grow in southern Oregon; one in Umpqua National Forest is 77.7 m (255 ft), and another in Siskyou National Forest is 77.2 m (253.5 ft).
Pinus lambertiana is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves ('needles') are in bundles (fascicles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 6–11 cm (2-4 inch) long. Sugar pine is notable for having the longest cones of any conifer, mostly 25–50 cm (10–20 in) long, exceptionally up to 66 cm (26 in) long (although the cones of the Coulter pine are more massive). The seeds are 10–12 mm (0.4-0.5 in) long, with a 2–3 cm (0.75-1.2 in) long wing that aids wind dispersal. The seeds of the sugar pine are also a type of pine nut and are edible.