Pinus lambertiana

Also Known As

Sugar Pine

Plant type

tree, conifer

size

H: 75'
W: 50'

planting zones

6a-9b

Pinus lambertiana plant details

Pinus lambertiana is an evergreen conifer tree with green foliage. and brown fruit. Attracts birds. Grows well with sun and regular - occasional water. Does well in average and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Pinus lambertiana

Plant type: conifer tree
Plant family: pinaceae
Foliage: evergreen green
Mature size: 0 - 50 FT - wide, 0 - 75 FT - tall
Uses: bonsai, year round interest

GROWING CONDITIONS for Pinus lambertiana

USDA Zones: 6a - 9b
Sun exposure: sun
Watering frequency: regular - occasional
Resistant to: deer, verticillium wilt
Soil needs: average and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

John Muir considered the sugar pine to be the "king of the conifers", it is no wonder why, the tallest of all of the pines (the tallest one on record is in Yosemite National Park and is an awe-inspiring 273' tall), it also boasts the longest pine cones of any pine measuring from usually 12-18" up to a whopping 26", sugar pine is a member of the white pine group and like all members of that group it has needles bundled in fives, found growing from Oregon to Baja its common name comes from its sweet resin that was used as sweetener by the Native Americans, the seeds of the sugar pine are also an edible nut. S/M-D

By: Forestfarm

A note about our seedlings for fall 2018: they are three years old and at a transitional age between juvenile foliage and true needles. The juvenile foliage (which is made up of single needles rather than mature bundled needles) drop off at this age as the new growth is pushing out. This is normal for this age and trees quickly develop a thick crown the following year.

The sugar pine is one of our personal favorite pine species because of its beautiful soft foliage and even growth. Mature trees are decorated with massive pine cones that hang from slightly weeping branches and drop large, edible seeds. Because of the open and drooping branching pattern, Sugar Pines are easy to spot growing on hot and dry hillsides in their native range.

In the landscape, Sugar Pines are very useful because of their drought and heat tolerance as well as slower growth compared to other pine species, which can quickly overshadow all the other plants in your landscape. Even though their eventual size is massive, they are well suited to smaller landscapes and are one of the most popular bonsai trees. Most trees will grow about six inches to one foot per year in height and take well to shaping and pruning in any style garden.

Sugar Pines are members of the White Pine group, which all have needles in groups of five.

Coming Across Massive Sugar Pines in the Wild

After backpacking for several days in the upper drainage of the Applegate, numerous massive Sugar Pine trees started appearing alongside the (almost non-existent) trail that towered over even the largest trees of other species in the forest. This fact was made even more impressive by the fact that the average tree throughout this forest seemed to be at least 100 feet tall - seeing Douglas-fir with diameters of 5-6 feet was actually quite common. But some of these sugar pines seemed to match the size of many large specimens of Coastal Redwood common throughout the coast of Northern California, the tallest of which are famous for being the tallest trees in the world.

These sugar pines must have been larger than at least half of the Coast Redwoods I had ever seen, and the lowest branches of these behemoths didn't start until well above the forest of Chinquapin some 40 feet above the forest floor. Piles of composted pine needles that surrounded the tree appeared to be up to three feet deep, the result of hundreds and perhaps thousands of years of needle drop. The trees truly seemed ancient, slowly growing and persisting through countless floods, droughts, and landslides. Hiking through these valleys for several days, a pattern seemed to appear in where these massive trees would grow. They were always in flat plateaus near the bottom of individual valleys but up against steep hills or cliffs. The steep terrain of the area protected these trees from logging, and the ample snow runoff during the summer months protected them from the severe wildfires common here during drought years.

For the fifteen or so giant Sugar Pine trees that can be found along the trail, these conditions must aligned perfectly to allow the trees to thrive and make a beautiful forest far more so. And after seeing specimens far more impressive than could be put into words, I ordered hundreds of seedlings to grow on and share with others, as well as plant around the nursery.