Dwarf Pine, Pinus albicaulis

About Dwarf Pine (Pinus albicaulis) 0 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Pinus albicaulis (known commonly as Whitebark pine, Pitch pine, Scrub pine, and Creeping pine) occurs in the mountains of the Western United States and Canada, specifically the subalpine areas of the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Pacific Coast Ranges, and the northern Rocky Mountains (including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem). The Whitebark Pine is typically the highest-elevation pine tree of these mountains, marking the tree line. Thus, it is often found as krummholz, trees dwarfed by exposure and growing close to the ground. In more favourable conditions, trees may grow to 20 meter in height, although some can reach up to 27 meter. It shares the common name Creeping pine with several other plants.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree

Size

15 - 85 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Slow

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 69 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Pine White Neophasia menapiaNeophasia menapia

Western Pine Elfin Callophrys eryphonCallophrys eryphon

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Brown-lined Looper Neoalcis californiariaNeoalcis californiaria

Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth Orthosia hibisciOrthosia hibisci

Red Girdle Moth Caripeta aequaliariaCaripeta aequaliaria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Soil Description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 3-4 mos. stratification (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Sunset Zones?

1*, 2*, 3*, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17

Natural Setting

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 13.3" - 122.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 4.15", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 50.5", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 77.3", Humidity: 0.83" - 25.16", Elevation: 483" - 14460"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Alpine White Pine, Creeping Pine With Several Other Plants, Whitebark Pine

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Dwarf Pine

Pinus albicaulis

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Dwarf PinePinus albicaulis

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Dwarf Pine

Pinus albicaulis