Pinus sabiniana (California Foothill Pine)

Pinus sabiniana (California Foothill Pine) is a medium-sized evergreen coniferous tree of open, airy habit with a sparsely leaved, irregular to round crown. Its silver to olive-gray needles, up to 6-12 in. long (15-30 cm), are presented in loose bundles of three. They are shed every 2 to 3 years. The chocolate-brown cones are quite massive, typically 6-12 in. long (15-30 cm) and they may exceed 2 pounds (1 kg). They open slowly, shedding seeds over a period of several months. The seeds are an important diet item for various birds and rodents. The seeds were important in the diet of California Native Americans. The ridged and scaly bark is dark brown, often tinged purple. California Foothill Pine is self-pruning, and its lower branches are often a considerable distance above the understory. Slow-growing, and tolerant of heat, drought, and air pollution, California Foothill Pine makes an excellent specimen tree. It is also a good choice for coastal and interior gardens. Native to California, California Foothill Pine is distributed from Siskiyou County south through the foothills of the Klamath, Cascade, and Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada to Ventura County. It occurs naturally on exposed, dry, rocky slopes at elevations from 100 to 6,000 feet (30-1,800 m).

• Grows up to 20-80 ft. tall (3-24 m) and 20-40 ft. wide (6-12 m).
• Performs best in full sun to part shade in dry, well-drained soils. Requires little supplemental summer water (once a month). Tolerates poor soils and serpentine soils. Highly drought tolerant once established. Moderately tolerant of salt spray.
• Keep an eye out for pitch canker, mistletoe, western gall rust, armillaria, aphids, California five-spined engraver beetle, and verticillium. Deer resistant.
• No pruning is required.
• Propagate by seed. Seeds require cold stratification for approximately 30 days prior to germination.
• Native to northern, southern, and central California.