White-Bark Pine
Pinus albicaulis

Family: Pinaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal.

Pinus albicaulis is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 20

Where it is found

Often found on rocky ridges and bluffs, it is reduced to a prostrate gnarled mat at the highest elevations and exposures, but the best specimens are found at lower elevations in sheltered canyons

Western N. America - British Columbia to California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - raw or cooked. They can also be ground into a powder and then used as a flavouring in soups etc or can be added to cereal flours when making bread, biscuits, cakes etc. Large and sweetly-flavoured, the oil-rich seed is up to 9 x 7mm and has a thick shell. It has a pleasant slightly resinous flavour. Eating the raw seeds in quantity can cause constipation. Inner bark. There are no more details but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereals when making bread. A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are released from the pulpwood.

Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The turpentine obtained from the resin of all pine trees is antiseptic, diuretic, rubefacient 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. Externally it is a very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, boils etc and is used in the form of liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths and inhalers.

Other

Rating: 3

A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles. 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. 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. 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 making varnish, medicinal etc. Rosin is the substance left after turpentine is removed. This is used by violinists on their bows and also in making sealing wax, varnish etc. Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a wood preservative etc. Wood - soft, light, coarse grained, brittle. Used occasionally for fuel.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Herbicide: Plants or plant extracts that can inhibit the growth of other plants.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Specimen. Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam in a sunny position. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils. Established plants tolerate drought. Plants often colonise exposed mountain slopes in the wild, their root system anchoring them firmly. A long-lived but slow-growing tree in the wild. It grows well in Britain, coning regularly at Kew, but not doing so well in the milder parts of the country. It is best suited for growing in northern areas at higher elevations. Trees do not produce large numbers of cones but small numbers are formed annually. The cones are up to 8cm long, they ripen in late summer and do not open on the tree but fall intact to the ground. This species is the only N. American pine with this habit and it is thus considered to be a primitive species. The seed is extracted by breaking up the soft scales of the cone. Birds and mammals often open the cones and eat the seeds before they mature. Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants below the tree. Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus. This species is closely related to P. flexilis, differing mainly in the cones. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Special Features:Attracts birds, North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk. An evergreen. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Canopy;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

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

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

P. cembroides. non Zucc. P. flexilis albicaulis.