Description

The foothill or gray pine grows natively only in California, roughly in an elongated ring surrounding California's Central Valley. This species often grows with blue oaks (Quercus douglasii) in foothill woodlands. It is a long-needled, three-needle pine with sparse bluish-gray foliage. The crooked, black-barked trunk bears irregular, spreading to upright branches. The large brown seed cones are armed with stout, recurved prickles like those on Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), edible for wildlife during fall. This conical-shaped tree slowly reaches 70' tall and 15-20' wide. This pine does best in full sun with sandy or loam soil. Mature trees have low water needs.