Shore Pine

Heat Tolerance: Not at his best in the desert

Sun Exposure: Full sun, shade intolerant

Origin: Western North America

Growth Habits: Small to medium-sized evergreen shrub or tree, 20 to 50 feet tall (6-15 m); dark green needles, by 2s, 0.8 to 2.8 inches long (2-7 cm)

Fruit: Light brown cone

Watering Needs: Little water

Propagation: Seeds

There are 4 botanical varieties of the Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta (the 3 first ones are sometimes given the rank of subspecies):
- Shore Pine (Pinus contorta var. contorta), Pacific coast from Alaska to California.
- Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia), Canada, north central USA.
- Sierra Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana), from the Cascades down south to Baja California in Mexico.
- Mendocino White Plains Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. bolanderi), coastal California in Mendocino County.

Fruiting Habits:
The Shore Pine starts producing cones when they are between 5 and 10 years of age. The female cones are strongly asymmetric, strongly recurved. They measure 0.8 to 2.4 inches long (2-6 cm) and are brownish orange when ripe. The winged seeds' bodies are about 0.2 inch long (5 mm).