PINAGEAE 



LoDGEPOLE Pine 



Pinus contorta Dougl. 



HABIT. A tree 70-80 feet high and VA-lYi feet in diame- 

 ter (max. 150 by 3 feet); long, slender bole; short crown. 



LEAVES. In fascicles of 2; 1-3 inches long; stout; often twisted; 

 bright yellow-green; persistent 4-6 years; margins with minute 

 teeth; basal sheath persistent. 



FLOWERS. Orange-red; male in spikes; female clustered. 



FRUIT. Subsessile; %-2 inches long; ovoid; frequently 

 remaining closed and on the tree for many years; scales at base 

 knoblike, armed with long prickle. Seed: % inch long; thin, 

 dark red-brown shell; wings Yz inch long. 



TWIGS. Stout; light orange-brown, becoming black. Winter 

 buds: 14 inch long, ovoid, dark chestnut-brown, resinous. 



BARK. Very thin, rarely over % inch thick; orange-brown 

 to gray; covered by thin, loosely appressed scales. 



WOOD. Moderately important; soft; fine-textured; sapwood 

 thick; heartwood pale brown; tangential surface with many 

 indentations; used for lumber, ties, poles, and mine timbers. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Intolerant; growth slow; ma- 

 turity reached in about 200 years; shallow root system; repro- 

 duction vigorous, typically forming dense stands following 

 fires; fire, bark beetles, and mistletoe cause damage. 



HABITAT. Canadian zone; altitudinal range from 6,000- 

 11,000 feet; adapted to variety of soil types; in pure, dense, 

 even-aged stands, or in mixture with various conifers. 



GENERAL. Some authors distinguish two varieties: Shore 

 Pine, P. contorta var. contorta, a stunted, short-leaved, twisted 

 cone tree of the Pacific Coast; and Lodgepole Pine, P. contorta 

 var. latifolia Engelm., the taller inland tree described above. 



Chihuahua Pine 



Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuana (Engelm.) Shaw 



This small essentially Mexican tree is unique in that it ma- 

 tures its cones in 3 years and is a hard pine with a deciduous 

 basal sheath. The needles are in clusters of 3, 2-4 inches long, 

 and persistent 4 years. The cones are 1 1/2-2 inches long, long- 

 stalked, ovoid, and often remaining closed. It is characteristic 

 of poor, dry sites. 



[35] 



