About Pinus balfouriana Balf.
Pinus balfouriana Balf. is a tree that typically reaches 10–20 m (30–70 ft) tall, and can exceptionally grow up to 35 m (115 ft) tall. It has a trunk that can grow up to 2 m (7 ft) across. Its leaves are needle-like, growing in bundles of five (or sometimes four in the southern Sierra), with a semi-persistent basal sheath. The needles are 2–4 cm (1–1+1⁄2 in) long, deep glossy green on the outer face and white on the inner faces, and persist on the tree for 10–15 years. The cones are 6–11 cm (2+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 in) long, starting dark purple and ripening to red-brown. They have soft, flexible scales, each with a 1-millimeter (1⁄16-inch) central prickle. This species grows in subalpine forest, occurring at elevations of 1,950–2,750 m (6,400–9,020 ft) in the Klamath Mountains, and at 2,300–3,500 m (7,500–11,500 ft) in the Sierra Nevada. In the Sierra Nevada, Foxtail pines (Pinus balfouriana) are limited to the area around Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It is often a tree line species in both of its native ranges. It has two disjunct populations. A small outlying population that was reported in southern Oregon was later proven to be a misidentification.
