Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pinus contorta ssp. bolanderi - Bolander Pine

Pinus contorta ssp. bolanderi: Pinus is the Latin name for P. pinea; contorta or 'twisted,' referring to the species' twisted needles; bolanderi, named after Henry Nicholas Bolander (1831-1897), a collector of plants in Yosemite National Park and California State Botanist in 1864.

This subspecies is endemic to the Pygmy Forest in Mendocino Co., California where there are coastal terrace soils with claypan or hardpan. It is closely related to P. contorta contorta and P. contorta murrayana.

Bolander pine often grows in thickets of cane-like trees that, although very small, are biologically mature and bear fertile cones.


Needles 1.25-2" long, 2 per fascicle, often twisted.


Reddish immature cones.


Asymmetric seed cones ~3 inches long remain closed on the stem for many years.


Scaly grey bark.

2 comments:

  1. I would just like to tell you that I really appreciate the work that you do on this blog and love the fantastic and informative stuff that she shared here.

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  2. This is awesome to see the plants named after my gr grandfather Henry Nicholas Bolander

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