Sugar pine

Pinus lambertiana

Tree: to 260′ and 11′ DBH; crown conical, becoming flat-topped; long branches, often horizontal

Bark: reddish-brown and narrowly furrowed, flaking in small platelets that collect at the base in mounds; becoming paler with elevation and exposure

Needles: 3’’- 4’’, growing in clusters of 5, blue-green; white stomatal bloom on all sides, including 2 distinct lines on the underside

Seed Cones: 10”- 20”, thicker scales than the western white pine and average 6” longer, yellow-green maturing to yellow-brown; quite sappy; present on tree year-round

Habitat: 1,500′- 9,000′, montane forests, ridgetops, and steep hillsides, generally drier habitat with ample sunlight

Observations: tremendous specimens in mid-elevations of Yosemite National Park; also found in Klamath Mountains, Transverse Ranges, southern Cascades, Sierra de San Pedro Martir

Remarks: world’s largest pine

Information from Conifers of the Pacific Slope by Michael Kauffmann.