Shore pine

Leaves

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

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

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