Common Name: Ponderosa Pine

General Information

Pinus ponderosa is an evergreen tree with a broadly conic to rounded crown, it usually grows 18 - 39 metres tall, but can reach 72 metres, especially in the west of its range. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 80 - 120cm in diameter, exceptionally to 250cm[].
Ponderosa Pine is one of the most important timber trees in the USA and is harvested on a large scale for its wood. It is also grown in plantations outside its native range, though with mixed success due to fungal diseases. The plant has a wide range of traditional uses as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, but usually only in larger gardens, arboreta etc[].
Pinus ponderosa is one of the more common pines in the Rocky Mountains of N. America. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[].

Botanical References

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Range

Western N. America - British Columbia to North Dakota, south through Oregon and Nebraska to California, Baja Norte, Sonora and western Texas

Habitat

Forests, in a variety of soils from sea level to 3,300 metres[], though mainly inland and in drier areas[]. The best growth is from trees growing in deep well-drained soils[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Pinus ponderosa is one of the most widely distributed pines, with a range spanning 20 degrees of latitude and from low elevations to 3,300 metres. While in the north and east its limits are defined by temperature and rainfall respectively, in the south it is replaced by related species. The mean annual precipitation can range from 300 - 1,750mm[]. It is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°c when fully dormant. It grows best in areas with hot summers[, ].
Pine species in general require a sunny position if they are to grow well and, whilst the different species have their own soil preferences, most will thrive in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[, ]. It grows in the wild on soils derived from many rock types, both acidic and basic with a pH that can vary from 5 - 9, and usually with a capacity to retain moisture but well drained[]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils[]. Established plants tolerate drought[]. Seedlings strongly dislike growing in the shade[] and are unable to succeed under the canopy of the parent trees[]. Plants are fairly wind tolerant[].
Extensively used in cool temperate forestry[], this species is occasionally planted for timber in central and southern Europe[].
Growth can be quite fast when young but it soon drops of and averages around 30cm per year[].
Trees can live 300 - 600 years in the wild[], they seem to be long-lived and healthy in Britain[]. The best trees in Britain are found in a belt running from Kent through the Midlands to N. Wales and also in S. Scotland[].
Seed production commences when the tree is about 20 years old[]. There are usually several years of low to medium yields between each year of high yields[]. The cones can be 5 - 15cm long and take two growing seasons to mature. They open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree and then soon fall from the tree[, ].
The plant's relatively high tolerance of fire assures it a place in the succession in natural forests, but selective logging as well as fire prevention have altered the forest composition to the disadvantage of Pinus ponderosa in many managed forests[].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[].
Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby reducing the amount of plants that can grow under the trees[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Inner bark - raw or cooked[]. Mucilaginous[, , ]. Best harvested in the spring[]. The inner bark can be eaten fresh, but is more often dried, ground into a powder and either used as a thickener in soups or is mixed with flour for making bread etc[].

Seed - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. Rich in oil, the seed has a slightly resinous flavour. Quite small, it is only about 8mm long[]. The seed can be crushed into a meal and used in making bread etc[].

The resin has been chewed as a gum[, ].

Young male cones have been chewed for the juice[].

A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are released from the pulpwood[].

Medicinal

Ponderosa pine was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes, who valued it especially for its antiseptic and vulnerary properties, using it to treat a range of skin problems, cuts, wounds, burns etc[]. It was also valued for its beneficial effect upon the respiratory system and was used to treat various chest and lung complaints[].

Oil of turpentine, obtained from the oleo-resin of all pine trees, is antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, rubefacient, stimulant and vermifuge[, ]. It is a valuable remedy used internally in the treatment of kidney and bladder complaints and is used both internally and as a rub and steam bath in the treatment of rheumatic affections[]. It is also very beneficial to the respiratory system and so is useful in treating diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza and TB[].
Applied externally in the form of liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths and inhalers, it is a very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, boils etc[].

The branches are used in herbal steam baths as a treatment for muscular pains[].

A decoction of the plant tops has been used in the treatment of internal bleeding and high fevers[].

An infusion of the dried buds has been used as an eye wash[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The needles contain a substance called terpene, this is released when rain washes over the needles and it has a negative effect on the germination of some plants, including wheat[].
A fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in shelterbelt plantings[].

Other Uses

A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles[].
A yellow dye can be made from the pollen[].
A blue dye can be made from the roots[].

The branches are used as a strewing herb[].

The root fibres have been used in making baskets[].
Material for insulation and a tinder are also obtained from the tree[].

A decoction of the plant tops has been used as a conditioning wash to give a person a fair and smooth skin[].
An essential oil obtained from the needles and twigs is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a masking agent[].

This tree is a source of resin, though it is not exploited commercially[, ]. Oleo-resins are present in the tissues of all species of pines, but these are often not present in sufficient quantity to make their extraction economically worthwhile[]. The resins are obtained by tapping the trunk, or by destructive distillation of the wood[, ]. In general, trees from warmer areas of distribution give the higher yields[].
Oil of Turpentine consists of an average of 20% of the oleo-resin[] and is separated by distillation[, ]. Turpentine has a wide range of uses including as a solvent for waxes etc, for thinning and dissolving varnish and paints, a shoe polish, medicinal etc[, ].
Rosin is also obtained by distillation of pine resin. This is used in paper glue and soap manufacturing, as a constituent of varnishes and paints, and for coating the bows of stringed musical instruments such as violins[, ].
Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a wood preservative, adhesive etc[, ]. It burns well and so has been used to make torches[].

The wood is light in weight, strong, fine-grained and pleasantly aromatic. It can vary from soft to hard[, , , , , ]. An important lumber tree, it is used generally for making furniture, boxes, toys, posts etc, whilst the higher grade and larger size wood is much used in light construction like window frames, doors, stairs, flooring, sidings, panelling, veneers and for furniture and cabinetwork[, , , , , , ]. The wood is also used for making particle board and for pulp[].For reasons that are unclear, some tree stumps contain high concentrations of pitch - this makes them very rot-resistant and inflammable and therefore especially useful for fence posts and kindling[].
The wood is used for fuel[]. The seed cones can be used make a quick hot fire, whilst the scales from the trunk bark burn easily, give off no smoke and cool quickly[].

Propagation

It is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored seed[]. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for their first winter or two[]. Plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions the better they will grow[]. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[]. We actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well[]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[].
Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away[].