Alternate name: Yellow Pine
Family: Pinaceae, Pine view all from this family
Description Large tree with straight axis and open, conical crown of spreading branches and with large cones. Both bark and twigs give off odor of lemon or vanilla when crushed.
Height: 80-130' (24-39 m).
Diameter: 2-4' (0.6-1.2 m), sometimes much larger.
Needles: evergreen; 3 in bundle; 5-10" (13-25 cm) long. Stout, stiff; light gray-green or blue-green, with broad white lines on all surfaces.
Bark: purplish-brown, thick, furrowed into narrow scaly plates.
Twigs: stout, hairless, gray-green with whitish bloom, smooth.
Cones: 5-10" (13-25 cm) long; conical or egg-shaped; light reddish-brown, almost stalkless; opening and shedding at maturity, leaving a few cone-scales on twig; cone-scales numerous, raised, and keeled, ending in long, bent-back prickle.
Habitat Dry slopes of mountains, especially from lava flows and granite; best developed on deep, well-drained soils; often forming pure stands and with other conifers.
Range SW. Oregon south through the Sierra Nevada (especially eastern slopes) to W. Nevada and S. California; also N. Baja California; mostly at 6000-9000' (1829-3048 m); less frequently down to 3500' (1067 m) and up to 10,000' (3048 m).
Discussion The odor of crushed twigs defies exact description. The scent has been likened not only to lemons and vanilla, but also to violets, pineapples, and apples. This species was named for its discoverer, John Jeffrey, the 19th century Scottish botanical explorer who collected seeds and plants in Oregon and California for introduction into Scotland.
