42 



PINE FAMILY 



Pinus monticola 



the long, slender cones. One may 



see exceptionally fine forests of 



Sugar Pine near Crockers, and 



near the Merced and Mariposa 



groves. In the Yosemite it is com- 

 mon only along the Wawona Road 



leading out of the valley, but there 



are several splendid individuals near 



Camp Curry. Its normal altitudi- Pinus lambertiano 



nal range is from 4000 to 7000 ft. 

 4. P. ponderosa Dougl. Western Yellow Pine. Bark in 



typical trees 2 to 4 fn. thick, 

 yellowish brown, divided into 

 large scaly-surfaced plates; 

 in some forms (and always 

 when young) the bark is red- 

 dish brown and irregularly 

 grooved and ridged, not in 

 plates. Needles in 3's, 5 to 

 10 in. long. Cones breaking 

 through near the base and 

 falling, leaving the basal por- 

 tion on the limb, usually 3 to 

 5 in. long, ovate or oval, each 

 scale bearing a stout point or 

 prickle at the thickened apex. 

 This pine is the most abun- 

 dant tree of the Sierra Ne- 

 vada, forming the "Great Yel- 

 low Pine Belt" of middle 



