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- Pinus ponderosa
Pinus ponderosa
Common name: Ponderosa pine, yellow pine, bull pine, jack pine
Pinus ponderosa is tall coniferous pine native to Western North America. It was first described by David Douglas near Spokane, Washington. He created the specific epithet 'ponderosa' from the Greek root for ponderous or heavy because of the bulkiness of the tree. The bark of a mature tree has plaques of orange-brown, with black crevices. The needles are fine and long. Pine bark beetles have ravaged this species.
This tree is quite fire-resistant due to its heavy bark. It loses lower branches as it grows, making it more difficult for fire to climb the tree.
Our specimens do not look happy because of the warm, wet climate.
Branch photo by Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich), via Wikimedia Commons
Baby cone photo by Midge Oke
Adult cone photo by Darren Kirby via Wikimedia Commons
Tree photo by Sosna Zółta, via Wikimedia Commons