Pinus coulteri (Coulter Pine)

Photographs

My photos:

These photos are from Idyllwild County Park, in March.

More photos:

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Pinaceae

In the garden:

Coulter pine is good for a large screen, is drought tolerant, and grows ten feet in a ten year period. Evergreen conifer, to 140 ft tall. Mature bark forms yellowish plates. Mature crown branches thick, lower sometimes reaching the ground. Needles 6 to 12 " long, in bundles of 3, grayish-green. Cones large 7 to 4 " long, large claws on scales. Lives up to 100 years.

In the wild:

Coulter pine is most frequent on steep south-facing slopes and ridges. Soils may be poor to fertile, and are typically dry. Coulter pine is an indicator of serpentine soils, but also occurs on a variety of other substrates. Soils range from loamy to gravelly or rocky in texture. Coulter pine occurs between 500 to 7,000 feet.

Cones of Coulter pine in certain plant communities typically do not open until heated by
fire. Consequently, the bulk of Coulter pine regeneration in these communities occurs after fire. Coulter pine ecotypes associated with coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), however, typically bear cones that open at maturity or shortly thereafter. Coulter pine seedling development is best in mineral soil in open areas. Such conditions are created by fire.

The seed is eaten by birds and small mammals. Females of the southern race of white-headed woodpeckers forage for insects almost exclusively on lower main trunks of Coulter pine, while male white-headed woodpeckers extensively use the cones. The seeds are also a dependable year-round food source for western gray squirrels.

Ethnobotany:

Coulter pine wood is rarely used except as fuelwood and second-grade lumber. Native people ate the seeds, and used the needles in basketry.

Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho Santa Ana Torrey Pines

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