Pinus coulteri

Common Names

Coulter Pine, Bigcone Pine, Nut Pine, Pitch Pine, California Coulter Pine

Summary

Coulter Pine is an evergreen conifer native to the coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California, typically growing on dry rocky slopes and ridges in chaparral and oak–pine woodland. It forms a broad, open crown and reaches 10–24 m tall with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter; needles are in bundles of three, 15–30 cm long, and glaucous gray-green; cones are large, 20–40 cm long and spiny, the heaviest of any pine, weighing 2–5 kg when fresh; seeds are pine nuts.

Growing conditions favor light, well-drained sandy or gravelly loam; drought-tolerant and dislikes poorly drained moorland soils; hardy to USDA Zone 8; full sun; cultivated as an ornamental tree with drought tolerance. Cones are heavy and potentially dangerous; propagation by seed; seeds edible as pine nuts.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

30-100 ft

Spread

20-30 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 8-10

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun, tolerates partial sun and partial shade

Soil Type

Well-drained, dry, rocky soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

5.5-7.0

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green, gray-green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color; evergreen; needles dark green.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen needle

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds