You’re probably familiar with ponderosa pine. It is the iconic tree of the western U.S., easily recognized by its distinctive, puzzle-piece, orange bark. Its cones are also distinctive, egg shaped, 3 to 6 inches long, and notoriously armed with painful prickles. However, if you travel to southwest Oregon, you may find what looks like a ponderosa pine with cones that are twice the size of ponderosa cones. They may be as large as 10 inches long. Congratulations, you have just discovered a Jeffrey pine.
It's no surprise that Jeffrey pine is a relative of ponderosa pine. Except for the cone size they are often difficult to tell apart. The size isn’t the only difference in the cones. Both have sharp prickles on the scales, but the prickles on Jeffrey cones point inward when open, while Ponderosa prickles generally point outward, just waiting for an unsuspecting hiker to pick up the cone. This difference in prickle orientation has been noted by some as a telltale difference between the two with this mnemonic device: Prickly ponderosa, Gentle Jeffery. However, this is not a reliable distinction. The prickles on both trees are variable. But here’s a better distinction:
The
cones open when ripe and drop the large, winged seeds. They aren’t likely to
fly very far, but they are a favorite food of the Clark’s nutcracker, Steller’s
jay, squirrels, and chipmunks. They will eat them or cache them for eating
later. Not all cached seeds are needed or remembered, so seeds that are cached
in the soil often become the next generation of Jeffrey pines.
Jeffrey
pine grows throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Like many
conifer species that are native to California, the range of Jeffrey pine crosses
the border to a few locations in southwest Oregon. For example, you can find
them growing along Interstate 5 north of Grants Pass and along Highway 199 near
Cave Junction.
Jeffrey
pine often grows in nutrient-poor soils where other species cannot grow. Does
this mean that it thrives in these conditions? Not so much, but it does better than
competing species. Jeffrey pine is smaller than ponderosa pine, growing to 130
feet or more.
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| Jeffrey and Ponderosa Needles |
Like ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine has 3 needles per bundle. Ponderosa pine needles tend to be bunched at the ends of the branches. Jeffrey pine retains its needles longer than ponderosa pine, so they typically remain farther along the branch.
For example, note this curious branch on a ponderosa pine in my yard. It looks like it did well some years and the needles remain, while the needles are missing from other years.
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| Jeffrey pine bark |
Ponderosa pine near Bend, OR --- Ponderosa pine near Portland
Jeffrey
pine was named after Scottish botanist John Jeffrey, who discovered it in1852 growing
in the Shasta Valley in California. Other common names: western yellow pine and
bull pine.
The wood is similar to ponderosa pine, and both are marketed as ponderosa pine or yellow pine. Pine sap can be distilled to make turpentine, and ponderosa pine was used to make turpentine in the eighteenth century.* However, if you try to make turpentine from Jeffrey pine sap, the result is heptane, which is highly flammable and explosive.** Be forewarned. If you think you want to make your own turpentine, be sure you know how to identify these two species. The best way to identify Jeffrey pine is by the size of its larger cones. And the safest way to get your turpentine is from a paint store.
See
also
**OSHAreports 10 people injured or killed by explosions or fires since 1988.
