This tree is the largest species of pine, commonly growing to 40-60 m tall, exceptionally up to 81 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of 1.5-2.5 m, exceptionally 3.5 m.
It is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves ('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 6-11 cm long. Sugar Pine is notable for having the longest cones of any conifer, mostly 25-50 cm long, exceptionally up to 66 cm long.
The Sugar Pine has been severely affected by the White Pine Blister Rust (Cronartium ribicola), a fungus that was accidentally introduced from Europe in 1909. A high proportion of the Sugar Pine has been killed by the blister rust, particularly in the northern part of the species' range (further south in central and southern California, the summers are too dry for the disease to spread easily). The rust has also destroyed much of the Western White Pine and Whitebark Pine outside of California. The US Forest Service has a program (see link below) for developing rust-resistant Sugar Pine and Western White Pine. Seedlings of these trees have been introduced into the wild.
External links
Arboretum de Villardebelle - cone photo (http://www.pinetum.org/cones/PNlambertiana.jpg)
Sugarpine is the tallest of all pines, often reaching heights of 61m (200ft.) and widths in excess of 3.5 m.
Sugarpine can be identified from a distance by the open, narrow, and flat-topped crown with long horizontal branches that, from a distance, can be seen drooping at the ends due to the weight of the cones clustered at the ends of the branches (Kinloch and Scheuner, 1990).
Sugarpine is also easily distinguished by its silvery-lined bluish green needles, clustered five to a fascicle and 7-10 cm in length with several rows of obvious stomates on both sides of the needle.
SugarPine is notable for having the longest cones of any conifer, mostly 25-50 cm long, exceptionally up to 66 cm long.
A high proportion of the SugarPine has been killed by the blister rust, particularly in the northern part of the species' range (further south in central and southern California, the summers are too dry for the disease to spread easily).
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