Species › Plants › Sugar Pine

Sugar Pine

Pinus lambertiana

CommonPlant
Illustration of Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana)

Sugar Pine produces the longest cones of any pine species in the world, reaching up to 24 inches. It is one of the largest trees in North America, rivaling giant sequoias in volume. Its sweet resin was eaten by indigenous Californians, and its seeds are cached and dispersed by Clark's nutcracker across mountain forests.

Habitat
Mountain mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades
Diet
Large seeds cached by Clark's nutcracker; cones opened by squirrels and birds
How common
Common

Best time to see a Sugar Pine

The best time to see a Sugar Pine is April–August, when about 67% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 6,227 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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