Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) Other WA subspecies: shore pine (ssp. contorta)
- Needles: clusters of 2; 2-3 inches long. Yellow-green, often twisted, and prickly at tip
- Buds: New growing tips are oval.
- Bark: On mature trees, red-brown to nearly black, covered with loosely attached scales.
- Cones: 1-2.5” inches long. Tips of cone scales have small prickles. Variable asymmetrical shape. Unopened closed cones remain for tree for several years. A percentage of cones termed “seratinous” as they remain closed, sealed in resin, awaiting a forest fire to trigger opening and seed dispersal over the newly burned, bare ground.
- Form: Tall, evenly tapering, long narrow crown. Often grows in dense stands.
- Unique identifier: Needles in clustered of 2; unopened cones remain on branches for years.