Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Dolores River, March 5, 2006.

Ponderosa Pine is a majestic tree and often appears even more majestic because it commonly towers over low-growing Pinyon Pine, Juniper, and Gambel’s Oak.  Ponderosas also grow at higher elevations above this transition zone and can be found in pure stands towering over a park-like atmosphere of grasses and shrubs.  Giant Ponderosas can be 140 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter.  The Ponderosa at left is almost these proportions and it towers over fifteen foot tall leafless, gray Gambel's Oaks just back from the banks of the Dolores River in a thousand foot deep canyon carved by the River.

"Ponderosa" is from the Latin for "heavy, weighty" as in "ponderous", probably referring to the heavy wood.

David Douglas was the first to describe  Pinus ponderosa after collecting it (probably in his 1825-1827 North America travels) in the present state of Washington.

Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Box-Death Hollow Wilderness, October 24, 2007.

The bark of mature Ponderosa Pines is cinnamon to yellow/orange in a fascinating jig-saw pattern.  When heated by the sun, Ponderosa Pine bark exudes a most pleasant soft vanilla fragrance.

Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Bear Creek Pack Trail, May 12, 2009.
Box-Death Hollow Wilderness, October 24, 2007.

Ponderosa bark is art work of color and jig-saw patterns.  Ponderosas often have deep fissures, especially on mature trees, three-to-six feet in diameter.  If we stare into one of these deep fissures we see layer upon layer of bark giving the trees great fire protection -- and great beauty.  Bear claw marks, shown in the top photograph at left, penetrate only a few layers of the bark.

Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Narraguinnep Natural Area, May 28, 2004.

Ponderosa Pine needles are in bundles of twos or threes and are 5-8 inches long bunched at the end of branches.  The three inch new growing tip in the middle of the photograph shows the beginning of new needles; old needles will yellow and drop off the twig after several years.

The bark of young trees, such as the one pictured at left, is very dark gray with yellow/orange longitudinal furrows. 

Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Narraguinnep Natural Area, May 28, 2004.

Pinus ponderosa variety scopulorum
(Ponderosa Pine)
Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Arceuthobium vaginatum subspecies cryptopodum (Mistletoe)
Viscaceae (Mistletoe Family)

Foothills/montane. Woodlands. Spring.
North of Durango, May 29, 2007.
Narraguinnep Natural Area, June 18, 2007.

The parasite on this Pinus ponderosa is Arceuthobium vaginatum, common on Pinus ponderosa.  It can appear as a light, scattered infestation or it can be very dense.

Arceuthobium vaginatum was first collected in 1804 by Friederick von Humboldt and Alexander Bonpland and was named Viscum vaginatum by Carl Willdenow in 1806.  It was given its present name by Jan Presl in 1825.

William Weber tells of the parasite's reproduction: "The seeds are explosively shot from the fruits at high speed (27 m/sec) for distances up to 15 m.  They are sticky and adhere to Pine needles.  When the needles become wet from rain the seeds slide down to the branch where they germinate by a penetrating holdfast."

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Pinus ponderosa