Pinus jeffreyi
Common name: 
Jeffrey Pine
Western Yellow Pine
Bull Pine
Pronunciation: 
PI-nus jef-REE-i
Family: 
Pinaceae
Genus: 
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
Yes
  • Conifer, evergreen, large, 80 to 140 ft (24-43 m) high, straight crown, open, spreading branches.   Bark purplish-brown, thick, furrowed into narrow, scaly plates.  The crushed twigs have a pleasant odor; some liken the scent to lemons and vanilla, others to violets, pineapple, or apples.   Needles are in bundles of 3, occasionally 2, 5 to 11 inches (13-28 cm) long, dark blue-green, often twisted, persisting 5 to 8 years.  Female cones, large, 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm) long, conical or egg-shaped, almost stalkless, cone scales have a prominent recurved prickle or J-shaped prickle.   They point more or less inward, thus there is minimum discomfort when a cone is rolled between the hands;  "gentle jeffery" in contrast to "prickly ponderosa".
  • Sun.  Best in well-drained, gravelly to sandy, moist soil.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 6          Native to south-central Cascade Mountains in Oregon, southward through the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and extreme western Nevada, also found in northern Baja California.
  • jeffreyi: after John Jeffrey, Scottish botanical explorer who collected seeds and plants in Oregon and California for introduction into Scotland.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • start of needle growth

    start of needle growth

  • needles and new growth

    needles and new growth

  • branches and needles

    branches and needles

  • branch, needles

    branch, needles

  • needle cluster

    needle cluster

  • cone

    cone

  • cone, closed and open

    cone, closed and open

  • cone scales, closed and open

    cone scales, closed and open

  • trunk, bark

    trunk,bark