Pine yellow (Oregon)

Yellow/Oregon Pine (Pínus ponderósa) — tall coniferous tree of the pine family with yellow needles and edible seeds. Montana State Symbol. It grows in the western part of the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Variety advantages: adaptation to fires, high heat and drought resistance, unusual needle color.

Appearance

Tree tall, medium height – 39 meters, maximum – 81 m. Trunk – straight, up to 1.2 m in diameter. Crown – broadly cone-shaped or rounded. Branches – strong, sprawling, up to 2 cm thick. Bark – red-brown with deep cracks and rectangular scaly plates. Kidneys – ovoid, strongly resinous with a whitish fringe along the edges.

Needles Intense yellow-green color, curved shape with a sharp end. Needles grow in divergent bundles of 2-5 pieces. Length 7-25 cm.

Cones. Men's – cylindrical shape, 1.5-3.5 cm in length. Color – yellow or red. Women's – conical, 5-15 cm long. Color – red-brown. On the branches grow separately, less often – in pairs. They ripen once every 2 years. Seeds – 4-9 mm, brown or yellow-brown with dark spots.

Destination. Yellow pine attracts landscape designers with a rare unusual color of needles. It looks spectacular in single landings and group compositions.

Growing conditions. Yellow pine is suitable for growing in hardiness zones 5 and 6 with temperatures up to – 28.9 °C and warmer. In regions with harsher winters, planting trees is risky. Also, the species does not tolerate wetlands, heavy damp clay soils.

At the same time, Oregon pine – one of the most heat-resistant conifers on the planet. It withstands extreme heat up to +50°C. In addition, the tree resists forest fires, is drought-resistant and unpretentious.

Beware of fakes and infected planting material, buy yellow pine seedlings in specialized nurseries.