ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
First place champion ponderosa pine in San Juan National Forest near Pagosa Springs.
Species info:
Leaves: Needles in fascicles (bundles) of 3, sometimes 2; densely crowded along small branches. Rigid, yellow-green, 3–10 inches long, less sharp-pointed than Austrian pine. Retained on the tree for 3–6 years.
Leaflets: N/A (needles)
Leaf Surface: Slightly glossy and firm to the touch.
Bark: Young bark is dark and scaly; mature bark thickens, becoming deeply furrowed and platy with a cinnamon-red to orange hue. Older bark emits a sweet vanilla-like scent.
Flowers: Inconspicuous; male and female cones borne separately on the same tree.
Fruit: 3–6 inches long cones, on short stalks, reddish-brown, with each scale tipped by a short sharp point.
Botanical: Pinus ponderosa
Family: Pinaceae
Mature Height: Up to 75 feet (can exceed 100 feet in native stands)
Canopy Spread: 25–35 feet; irregular, open crown in maturity
Foliage Type: Evergreen
Fruit: Round cones
Tree Shape: Pyramidal when young; open, irregular crown as it ages due to self-pruning
Growth Rate: Medium (12–18 inches per year once established)
Fall Color: Evergreen
Water Use: Low to moderate; prefers dry, well-drained soils
Hardiness: Zones 2–8 (often heat-stressed in Zone 8)
Soil Preference: Best on well-drained, sandy or loamy soils; intolerant of high-pH (alkaline) conditions or persistently wet sites
Wildlife Value: Important for habitat and food; cones and seeds feed birds and small mammals; large trees provide nesting sites
Pests/Pathogens: Susceptible to mountain pine beetle in natural areas and pine engraver (Ips) beetles in stressed urban trees; pine tip moth may attack young trees 6–10 feet tall
Notable Traits: Iconic Colorado native; emits a pleasant vanilla scent from mature bark; most important commercial pine in the western U.S.
Planting Recommendations: A native species that is recommended for planting in most areas.
Information Sources:
Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (University of Georgia, 1990)
Michael Kuhns, Trees of Utah and the Intermountain West (Utah State University Press, 1998)
