Shape bushy finally broad topped, 10-40 ft. tall. Trunk slim, straggling. Bark irregularly ridged, becoming covered by light ruddy scales. Branches horizontal, crooked. Needles in clusters of 2 (rarely 3) stout, rigid, ¾-1½ in. long. Cones only ½-¾ in. long, with thick scale-ends, yellowish-green, lustrous. Range: Foothills of the Rockies from Colo. to w. Tex. and through interior desert states to Mex. The sweet edible seeds are an article of commerce in Mexico and the West. A precious fuel in the desert states, wood of this scrubby tree gives off a fragrant smoke that is characteristic of the southwestern towns and Indian villages. ONE NEEDLE PINE (_Pinus monophylla_). Needles solitary, blue-green. Cone brown. A little tree. Calif. to Ariz. and Colo. NUT PINE (_Pinus Parryana_) Needles 4 in a cluster, blue-green, in-curved, 1½-2 in. long. Cone brown. Seeds edible. Centr. and s. Calif.
Shape broadly pyramidal in youth, broad topped in age; up to 150 ft. tall. Trunk 2-5 ft. thick. Bark gray, shallowly fissured into broad flat ridges, loosely scaly. Branches stout, spreading, often drooping, but twigs generally ascending. Needles in clusters of 2, rigid, stout, triangular, dark, glossy, 5-6 in. long. Cones thin scaled, 2-6 in. long. Range: e. Can. N.E., N.Y., n. Gt. Lakes region, w. Pa. The strong, ruddy wood is greatly in demand for bridges and buildings. Masts and spars made from it went round the world in the old clipper ships. Often erroneously called “Norway Pine” (a name also given to a European spruce) this is what the old lumberjacks of the North Woods meant by “Hard Pine.” This stately, colorful pine is one of the most picturesque of our trees.
Shape spire-like, round topped, up to 200 ft. tall. Trunk massive. Bark ruddy, round ridged, scaly in age, with huge plates. Branches short, thick, forked, often drooping. Needles in clusters of 3, densely crowded at branch tips, dark yellow-green. Cones densely clustered, oval-oblong, lustrous, ruddy, sometimes hook-scaled. Range B.C. to Ore. and s. in the Sierra Nevada to Calif. ROCKY MT. YELLOW PINE (_Pinus scopulorum_) differs in little except its shorter stature (not over 75 ft.), shorter needles, often in clusters of 2, blackish bark, and smaller, stouter cones. Black Hills and Big Horn Mts., high lands of w. Neb., and Rockies from Wyo. to N. Mex. Both are among the most important timber trees of the West. Lumbermen recognize many varieties of their woods. JEFFREY’S PINE (_Pinus Jeffreyi_) is similar, symmetrical, with long bluish green needles; twigs bloomy. Ore. to s. Calif.