Coulter pine, Big-cone Pine
Pinus coulteri

Family: Pinaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 25 m tall. The bark is purple-brown and scaly. The leaves are needle like and stiff. They are 30 cm long and in clusters of three. They are grey-green on stout shoots. The cones are very large. They can be 30 cm long by 15 cm wide. The seeds are large and edible.

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean plant. It grows naturally in California in the United States. It grows on dry rocky slopes in the mountains. It can grow in a range of soils and tolerates wind and drought. Hobart Domain near swimming pool. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Central America, Indonesia, Mexico (country/location of origin), North America (country/location of origin), SE Asia, Tasmania, USA (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, nuts

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Trees can take 12 years to start producing cones. A cone can weigh 2 kg. It can have 200 seeds. Cones can take 2 years to ripen.

Its other names

Local names

Pinus kulteri

Synonyms

Pinus ponderosa ssp. coulteri (D. Don) E. Murray;