Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Monterey pine Pinaceae Pinus radiata D. Don Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PIRA2
Leaf: Evergreen needles, 4 to 6 inches long, 3 per fascicle, slender; shiny green; persist 3 years.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male cones in yellow spikes; female cones dark purple.
Fruit: Egg-shaped, 3 to 6 inches long, asymmetrical (especially at the base), shiny brown, often clustered in dense whorls, serotinous (remain closed on the tree for many years); cone scales thick and rounded, tipped with a small prickle.
Twig: Slender and dark orange.
Bark: Mature bark is dark reddish brown; thick with deep ridges and furrows.
Form: Straight trunk with irregular, open crown, 50 to 100 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet in diameter. Cone clusters are often conspicuous on branches and trunk.
 Looks like: ponderosa pine - knobcone pine - Jeffrey pine - Coulter pine

Monterey pine leaf image
Monterey pine flower image
Monterey pine fruit image
Monterey pine twig image
Monterey pine bark image
Monterey pine form image
Monterey pine map image

Additional Range Information: Pinus radiata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information