Home › Pinaceae › Pinus › Pinus contorta (shore pine)

contorta – twisted (Latin)

  • refers to the gnarled and crooked shape of trees in extremely windy environments
  • those seen by David Douglas (Scottish explorer), who named the species contorta, were near the mouth of the Columbia River and were growing on rocky shorelines in nutrient poor conditions exposed to salt spray

Native range: Coastal to inland PNW

Pinus contorta 28266

Leaves:

  • needles
  • 2 needles per fascicle
  • needles somewhat twisted
  • deep green
  • 1-3” long (much shorter than Pinus nigra)

Pinus contorta 37637

Cones:

  • ovoid to 2”
  • moderately to strongly asymmetrical
  • ~pointing back towards trunk
  • often in whorls
  • ~ w/ prickle

Pinus contorta 28289

Other characteristics:

  • evergreen tree
  • short (<45 ft.)
  • ~rounded crown
  • bark:
    • dark brown to grayish-black
    • furrowed
    • up to 1”
    • cross-checked into small, square or rectangular, orange-brown to purple-brown scaly plates

Relevant info:

  • lifespan is relatively short, not more than 100 years
  • used in England to revegetate coal-mining spoil piles, where few species can grow
  • subsp. contorta = shore pine
    • much shorter
    • tolerant of salt spray
  • subsp. latifolia = wide leaves (Latin), referring to the width of the foliage compared to other varieties of Pinus contorta;
    • serotinous (late in developing) cones remain on tree and release seeds only after fire
    • common name lodgepole pine refers to the use of trunks by Native Americans in teepee structures

Ecology & Adaptations:

  • native from Alaska to NW California in maritime climate
  • found from dunes and bogs to rocky hilltops and exposed outer-coast shorelines at low to middle elevations, and occasionally at subalpine
  • maritime fog forests, bogs, and dry foothills at 0-600 m elevation
  • adapted to a range of stressful conditions, including salt spray, wind, landslides, and low nutrients
  • subsp. latifolia that occurs farther inland is adapted to fire (some cones release seeds only after fire)
  • trees exposed to stresses of low nutrients and salt spray along the coast and to windblown ice crystals at timberline (high elevations) both produced coumarin (growth substance) that results in short, gnarly, contorted growth form
  • on more sheltered sites, subsp. contorta grows as a tall erect tree, similar to subsp. latifolia
  • adapted to low nutrient conditions – associations with mycorrhizal fungi enhance nutrient and water uptake
  • sexual reproduction:
    • does not reproduce by sprouting but does produce large quantities of flowers and pollen and good seed crops every other year
    • cones mature and shed seeds within 18 months