Western Mountain Pine, Mountain white pine
Pinus monticola
Family: Pinaceae
What it is like
A soft pine. It can grow to a very large tree. It can be 50 m high and with a trunk 150 cm across. The leaves are needle like and evergreen. They stay on the tree fro 3-4 years. They are in bundles of 5 and are 5-10 cm long. They are slender and straight and triangular in cross section. They are soft and flexible and bluish green with lines of white dots. The edges are finely toothed. The seed cones are cylindrical and 10-30 cm long. They are slightly curved and hang down. There are 90-160 scales. These curve back when dry and do not have prickles. Soon after the cones mature, seeds are shed. Seed are brown and mottled. They are 5-7 mm long and with wings 18-26 mm long.
There are over 100 species of Pinus.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. They will grow on a variety of sites from peat bogs to dry sandy soils. They do best in moist valleys and on gentle slopes. The can tolerate some shade. It will grow at low elevations in Canada. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia, Canada, North America, USA
How it is used for food
Occasionally slices of green cones are chewed. The seeds from partially roasted cones are eaten. The inner soft layer (cambium) between the wood and bark is eaten. A tea drink can be made by steeping the leaves in water. Caution: The tea should not be drunk in large amounts. It should not be drunk by pregnant women.
Edible parts
Seeds, resin, bark
How it is grown
Seeds require cool moist conditions for some weeks before they germinate. Seedlings transplant easily.
Trees can live for 400 years.