Knobcone pine | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Pinales |
Family: | Pinaceae |
Genus: | Pinus |
Subgenus: | P. subg. Pinus |
Section: | P. sect. Trifoliae |
Subsection: | P. subsect. Australes |
Species: | P. attenuata
|
Binomial name | |
Pinus attenuata | |
The knobcone pine, Pinus attenuata (also called Pinus tuberculata), [2] is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border. [3]
Individual specimens can live up to a century. [4] The crown is usually conical with a straight trunk. It reaches heights of 8–24 meters (26–79 feet), [5] but can be a shrub on especially poor sites. The bark is thin and smooth, flaky and gray-brown when young, becoming dark [4] gray-red-brown and shallowly furrowed into flat scaly ridges in age. The twigs are red-brown and often resinous. Its wood is knotty and of little interest for lumber. [4]
The leaves are in fascicles of three, [6] needle-like, yellow-green, twisted, and 9–15 centimeters (3+1⁄2–6 in) long. The cones are resin-sealed and irregularly shaped, [4] 8–16 cm (3+1⁄4–6+1⁄4 in) long and clustered in whorls of three to six on the branches. The scales end in a short stout prickle. Cones can sometimes be found attached to the trunk and larger branches. [4]
The knobcone pine can be found growing in the dry, rocky soils of southern Oregon and northern California, between 300 and 750 m (980 and 2,460 ft) above sea level. [4] It forms nearly pure stands, preferring to grow where there is no competition. [4]
On the coast, the knobcone pine may hybridize with bishop pine ( Pinus muricata), and Monterey pine ( Pinus radiata).
In the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, knobcone pine is often a co-dominant with blue oak ( Quercus douglasii). [7]
The species is susceptible to fire, but this melts the cone resin, releasing seeds for regrowth. [4] The species seems to be shade intolerant. [4]
Knobcone pine | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Pinales |
Family: | Pinaceae |
Genus: | Pinus |
Subgenus: | P. subg. Pinus |
Section: | P. sect. Trifoliae |
Subsection: | P. subsect. Australes |
Species: | P. attenuata
|
Binomial name | |
Pinus attenuata | |
The knobcone pine, Pinus attenuata (also called Pinus tuberculata), [2] is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils. It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border. [3]
Individual specimens can live up to a century. [4] The crown is usually conical with a straight trunk. It reaches heights of 8–24 meters (26–79 feet), [5] but can be a shrub on especially poor sites. The bark is thin and smooth, flaky and gray-brown when young, becoming dark [4] gray-red-brown and shallowly furrowed into flat scaly ridges in age. The twigs are red-brown and often resinous. Its wood is knotty and of little interest for lumber. [4]
The leaves are in fascicles of three, [6] needle-like, yellow-green, twisted, and 9–15 centimeters (3+1⁄2–6 in) long. The cones are resin-sealed and irregularly shaped, [4] 8–16 cm (3+1⁄4–6+1⁄4 in) long and clustered in whorls of three to six on the branches. The scales end in a short stout prickle. Cones can sometimes be found attached to the trunk and larger branches. [4]
The knobcone pine can be found growing in the dry, rocky soils of southern Oregon and northern California, between 300 and 750 m (980 and 2,460 ft) above sea level. [4] It forms nearly pure stands, preferring to grow where there is no competition. [4]
On the coast, the knobcone pine may hybridize with bishop pine ( Pinus muricata), and Monterey pine ( Pinus radiata).
In the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, knobcone pine is often a co-dominant with blue oak ( Quercus douglasii). [7]
The species is susceptible to fire, but this melts the cone resin, releasing seeds for regrowth. [4] The species seems to be shade intolerant. [4]