Pinus jeffreyi

Photographs

My photos:

These two photos are from Idyllwild County Park, March. The photo below shows the bark.

More photos:

A nice photo of an entire tree, at US Forest Service.

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Pinaceae

In the garden:

This evergreen will reach heights of from 60 to 180 feet. It has a large, symmetrical crown. The bark is reddish brown, with small scales, and will peel easily into odd shaped sections. Especially on a warm day, the bark has a vanilla scent (although some think it has an odor of pineapple). The needles are in clusters of 3 and are from 4 to 11 inches long with a blue green color. It is a member of the Yellow Pine family. This pine was named (not discovered!) by the eminent Scottish botanist John Jeffrey. Attractive in youth with silver gray bark and bluish foliage. Commonly used for bonsai work.

Its tolerant of most environmental conditions, (except smog, nothing seems to tolerate it, Jeffery does tolerate it for the first 50 years of its life ). It is very drought and heat tolerant. Fine for the desert or mountains, although it does best at the higher elevations. If you plant it in a spot that has no pines planted, it needs to be planted in a grove or with oaks.

In the wild:

Found in higher and dryer (east side) forests than ponderosa pine, 1,500 to 10,000 feet. Mature trees with thick bark can withstand fire. Jeffrey pine is readily distinguished from ponderosa pine on the basis of bark, leader, needle, bud, and cone morphology. These trees can live 400 to 500 years.

Birds and mammals use Jeffrey pine as a food source. Seeds are eaten by the Clark's nutcracker and other birds. Many small mammals such as mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and voles eat the stems and roots of young Jeffrey pine. During harsh winters or drought, large mammals such as elk and deer will browse on the needles and bark. Young Jeffrey pine seedlings provide ground shelter for small birds and mammals. Older stands serve as windbreaks for larger mammals. Insect-killed trees provide snags and fallen logs which become habitat for nesting birds and cavity dwellers.

Ethnobotany:

Jeffrey pine is prized for its lumber. Jeffrey pine pitch was distilled for turpentine early in the century, however, the terpens were found to contain high amounts of the explosive chemical heptane.

Native people used the needles in basketry, and the bark for making short term shelters.

Pinus jeffreyi (Jeffrey Pine)