Pinus radiata, Monterey Pine (29)

The Monterey Pine is a native Californian pine (Mirov, 1967). Like the Monterey Cypress, it is endemic to an incredibly small are. Specifically, it originated naturally in three locations along the central California coast near Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo. However, despite its small home range, the Monterey Pine has been planted extensively, especially in the southern hemisphere (Cockrell, 1976).

In New Zealand, it is an important timber tree (Stuart and Sawyer, 2001). It is short lived tree and matures quickly, making a good choice for silviculture. Trees often become infected with rots or insects as they mature, and rarely reach more than 100 years old. Unfortunately, many of the trees that were introduced and planted for timber are dying from native pathogens before they can mature to a useful size. Worldwide, the Monterey Pine is found from sea level to about 1300 feet. It prefers sandy, loamy soils and coastal fog.

Monterey Pines are medium sized, ranging from 50 feet to 125 feet. They are single stemmed coniferous evergreens. Their needles come in groups of three and two and are dark green. Their cones are asymmetrical and are round at the bases and pointed at the tips. They occur whorled around the branches in groups, similar to the cones of the Bishop Pine, but larger. The bark of the Monterey Pine is usually brown and fissured.