The Coulter Pine or Big-cone Pine (Pinus coulteri) is a native of the coastal mountains of southern California (United States) and northern Baja California (Mexico). This erect, medium-sized pine prefers south-facing slopes between 200-2300 m elevation, and tolerates dry rocky soil. The tree most often appears in mixed forests. The species is named after Thomas Coulter, an Irishbotanist and physician.
The size ranges from 10-24 m tall, and a trunk diameter up to 1 m. The trunk is vertical and branches horizontal to upcurved. The leaves are needle-like, in bundles of three, glaucous gray-green, 15-30 cm long and stout, 2 mm thick. The outstanding characteristic of this tree is the large, spiny cones which are 20-40 cm long, and weigh 2-5 kg when fresh. The wood is weak and soft, so that the species is little used other than for firewood. It is also occasionally planted as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens.
Coulterpine commonly invades chaparral, however, where it is much more susceptible to mortality from drought and insect attack or from fire.
Coulterpine has adapted to chaparral ecosystems with short intervals between fires through early reproduction (often at 10 to 15 years of age) and serotiny (Borchert 1985).
Pine pitch canker is established to the north and west in parts of the Central and Southern California Coast sections and in agricultural settings in valleys adjacent to the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges of southern California.
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