Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
Pinus ponderosa
Pinus ponderosa
Introduced CONIFERS
National Champions
Ponderosa Pine
Champion Tree Statistics
HEIGHT
DIAMETER
AGE
260'
9'
400
Typical Large Mature Tree Dimensions
Height
Diameter
200 FEET
3-5 FEET
200-300 YEARS
AGE
The Introduced CONIFERS
of the
Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Introduced to the property in 2016. Well established.
Pinus ponderosa
Introduced CONIFERS
DOLPHIN PLACE Specimens
Ponderosa Pine
15 feet
4"
2018
HIEGHT
DIAMETER
YEAR AQUIRED
Tacoma, WA
Provenance
Needles
Ponderosa pine needles are long (5-10 inches), yellowish-green, and grow in bundles (fascicles) of two or three, giving the tree a distinctive bushy look, especially at branch tips; they're less sharp than some other pines and have a faint turpentine smell when crushed, differentiating them from other western pines.
Cones
Ponderosa pine cones are large, woody, reddish-brown to gray, and distinctive for having a sharp, stiff prickle (spine) on the tip of each scale, making them feel prickly. They are typically 3 to 6 inches long, oval-shaped, and release large seeds when mature in late summer, often falling off after opening.
Bark
Ponderosa pine bark is thick, orange-brown, jigsaw-puzzle appearance in mature trees, with large plates separated by dark, deep grooves, often smelling like vanilla or butterscotch. Young trees have darker, grayish-brown bark that becomes more vibrant and orange as they age, eventually forming thick, flaky sections that break off and can pile up around the base.
Pinus ponderosa
Pinus ponderosa