• Home
  • Coniferous Animals
  • Coniferous Trees
  • About Us
  • Contact
Home > Pine > Coulter Pine

Coulter Pine

The Coulter pine is an evergreen coniferous tree native to coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California. Named after an Irish botanist and physician Thomas Coulter, this species is also found nearby Diamond Mines Regional Preserve located in the north of Mount Diablo State Park. Jeffery pine tree is closely related with Coulter pine and they commonly share their habitat with Ponderosa pine.

Coulter Pines

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Division Pinophyta
Class Pinopsida
Order Pinales
Genus Pinus
Subgenus Pinus
Scientific Name Pinus coulteri

Coulter Pine

Coulter Pine Tree

Quick Information

Other Names Big-Cone Pine, Nut Pine, California Coulter Pine, Pitch Pine
Identification

Size – 33 to 79 ft (10-24 m)

Trunk Diameter: 3.3ft (1m)

Leaves (Needles): Glaucous grayish green needle-like leaves arranged in bundles of three, 15-30 cm (5.9-11.8 inch)long and stout, 2 mm (0.079 inches) thick

Cones: Large spiny cones, 20-40 cm (7.9-15.7 inch)long and weighs 2-5 kg (4.4-11.0 lbs)

Seeds: Large brown seeds, 8 inches diameter

Bark: Dark gray to black, deeply rugged with scaly ridges

Distribution/ Range From Contra county in California, going southwards through the Coastal, Transverse and Peninsular ranges up to the Mexican border
Habitat Found at elevations of 500-7000 feet on steep south facing slopes
Hardiness Up to 8
Growth Rate Rapid, can grow up to 10 feet per year
Lifespan Long life (about 100 years)
Growing Conditions

Summer Conditions: Dry with occasional thunderstorms

Winter Conditions: Infrequent rainfall

Rainfall: Requires 35-60 inches of rainfall annually

Sunlight: Tolerant to full sun

Soil: Well-drained acidic soil with moisture requirements varying between moist and dry. Medium texture, gravelly or loamy

Disease & Pests Diseases – Root rot, dieback, blister rust, blight, canker

Pests – Pinewood nematode, scale, pine needle miner, pine weevil, bark beetles

Breeding System Monoecious
Seed Development Seedling development is best in mineral soil in open areas
Seed Production

Pollination: May and June

Cone Ripening: August and September in the second year after pollination

Maturity: Slowly over several years

Seed Dispersal: October through November

Wildlife value White-headed female woodpeckers of the southern race feed on insects on the tree’s lower trunk while males widely feed on cones; western gray squirrels use its seed as a source of food; black-tailed deer sometimes graze the young trees
Uses Fuelwood, also as an ornamental tree for decoration
IUCN Conservation Status Near Threatened

Coulter Pine Bark

Coulter Pine Pictures

Interesting Facts

  • Coulter pine’s cone is the largest and heaviest pine cone in the world that can weigh up to 10 pounds or more.
  • The pine cones killed old time loggers if it fell on their head and hence the loggers nicknamed the cone as “Widow Maker”.

Coulter Pine Cones

Big Cone Pine

Coulter Pine Needles

Pinus Coulteri

Reference:

  1. https://lpfw.org/our-region/wildlife/coulter-pine/
  2. http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=226
  3. https://conifersociety.org/conifers/pinus-coulteri/
  4. https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_coulteri.php
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulter_pine

Published on February 6th 2017 by Bony Palchaudhuri under Pine.
Article was last reviewed on 21st March 2023.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    • Recent Posts

      • Cedar Tree of Lebanon
      • Eastern Red Cedar
      • Black-backed Woodpecker
      • Eastern Gray Squirrel
      • Bohemian Waxwing
      • Norway Spruce
      • Douglas Squirrel
      • Northern Goshawk
      • Bighorn Sheep
      • Eastern Milk Snake
      • Ovenbird
      • California Redwood
      • Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
      • Foxtail Pine
      • Snow Goose
    • Categories

      • Coniferous Forest Animals
      • Coniferous Forest Plants and Trees
        • Cedar
        • Cypress
        • Fir
        • Hemlock
        • Juniper
        • Larch
        • Pine
        • Spruce
        • Yew

© 2023 (Coniferous Forest). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.