Jeffrey Pine
Pinus jeffreyi
Family: Pine (Pinaceae)
Size: 90’ – 100’ (max. 130′); diameter 36″-60″
Age: to 500 years
Bark: Cinnamon tinged with purple; old trunks divided into rough plates by deep furrows, closely spaced
Needles: Bundles of 3 needles (sometimes 2 & 3 on same tree); 5”-10” long; blue-green in color; somewhat twisted; persistent until 6th to 9th season
Cones: 5”-15” long; scales have inturned prickles; look like old-fashioned beehive; yellowish-brown
Elevation: 4000’ to 9000’
Comments: Jeffrey pine closely resembles Ponderosa pine, but can be identified by its dark red-brown plates, “cinnamon” coloring underneath and the closely spaced furrows. It also has a scent of vanilla or butterscotch, which gives the park its “mountain” smell. Jeffrey pine is the most common pine in the San Jacinto Mountains. The lumber is used for construction and fuel. Jeffrey pine sometimes hybridizes with Coulter and Ponderosa pine.
Photo: © Colin Barrows