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Shore pine

Silhouette - shore pine
  • Latin name: Pinus contorta var. contorta Dougl. ex Loud.
  • French name: Pin tordu côtier
  • Synonym(s): Beach pine , coast spruce
  • Taxonomic Serial Number: 183328
Description

Leaves

  • Needle bundle - shore pine

Form

  • Needles evergreen
  • In bundles of 2
  • Usually twisted
  • Stiffer than lodgepole pine
  • Very sharp-pointed
  • Not spread apart
  • Edges sharply toothed
  • Bundle-sheath persistent

Length

  • Shorter than lodgepole pine

Colour

  • Dark green

Buds

Form

  • Blunt-pointed, resinous

Length

  • To 15 mm

Colour

  • Reddish-brown

Twigs

Form

  • Ridged and grooved
  • Vigorous shoots on young trees usually with 1 or more intermediate nodes bearing loose whorls of side branches

Colour

  • Orange-brown becoming reddish-brown or very dark brown during 2nd season

Seed cones (mature)

Form

  • Reflexed
  • Cylindrical to ovoid, sometimes asymmetrical
  • Stalkless
  • At right angles to the branch or pointing back
  • In small clusters at the nodes

Length

  • 3–6 cm

Colour

  • Purplish-brown

Structure

  • Scales thickened at the tips, with a curved prickle
  • Usually held closed by a resin bond

Timing

  • Opening at maturity, sometimes remaining on the tree

Seeds

  • Seed - shore pine

Form

  • Often mottled and ridged on one side
  • Slower to germinate than lodgepole pine

Length

  • 3–5 mm

Colour

  • Brownish

Bark

Form

  • Thicker than lodgepole pine
  • Becoming deeply furrowed into flat, thick, coarse plates

Colour

  • Plates dark reddish-brown

Size

Height

  • To 15 m

Tree form

  • Silhouette - shore pine

Forest-grown

Trunk

  • Usually with more taper than lodgepole pine
  • Often crooked

Crown

  • Often deformed by prevailing winds

Habitat

Site

  • Up to 600 m
  • Rocky ridges
  • Coastal sand dunes
  • Bogs

Range

Along the Pacific Coast of British Columbia

Insects and diseases

Insects and diseases that are found most frequently and/or that cause the most damage in our Canadian forests.

Distribution map
Distribution map - shore pine