Pinus contorta var. contorta
Common name:
Shore Pine
Pronunciation:
PI-nus kon-TOR-ta kon-TOR-ta
Family:
Pinaceae
Genus:
Type:
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
Yes
- Conifer, evergreen tree, 40-50 ft (12-15 m) tall, irregular, twisted (contorta: twisted, the young shoots), spreading, broad rounded crown, dark brown bark. In the Willamette Valley, large blobs of pitch often present on trunk. Two needles per bundle, 3-7 cm long, stout, slightly flattened, often twisted, leaf sheath 4-6 mm long. Cones 2-5 cm long, egg-shaped, oblique, stalkless (or nearly so), tend to point backwards. Some cones will open and release seed soon after maturing; others may remain unopened for several years.
- Sun. Grows under a wide variety of soil condition. Shore pine found in peat bogs and dry, sandy sites. It is very tolertant of salt spray and is common along the Oregon Coast.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 7 Native from the coast of Alaska along the Pacific to northern California. Three other related varieties are recognized and commonly called Lodgepole Pines. P. c. var. latifolia (Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine), P. c. var. murrayana (Sierra Lodgepole Pine) and P. c. var. bolanderi (Mendocino White Plains Lodgepole Pine).
- There are a few compact or dwarf forms of Pinus contorta, such as ‘Spaan's Dwarf’.
- Shore and Lodgepole pine are the only pines native to the Pacific Northwest that have short needles in bundles of two. Can you identify these common native pines, a 3-needle and a 5-needle?
- Can be used in bonsai.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: southeast Magruder Hall.
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit
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plant habit
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branches and cones
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branch: needles and cones
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needles
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trunk, bark
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trunk, pitch
