Coulter Pine
Pinus coulteri
Coulter pine produces the heaviest cones of any pine — spiny, ten-pound 'widow-makers' — on dry California mountain slopes. A bold, drought-tough specimen for large dry gardens. The oil-rich seed was gathered in quantity as a genuine staple food by local tribes, with a rich, slightly resinous flavor.
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 80–80 ft
- Spacing
- 20–40 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, mammals, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~201 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- border, naturalizing
- Native states
- CA
Related native plants
More Pinus species
- Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
- Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
- Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
- Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)
- Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)