View source for Pinus ponderosa

{{Short description|Species of large pine tree in North America}}
{{About|the tree|the plant community that is dominated by this tree|Ponderosa pine forest}}
{{Redirect|Ponderosa pines|the place|Ponderosa Pines, Montana}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Pinus ponderosa 15932.JPG
| image_caption = ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''ponderosa''
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |date=2013 |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T42401A2977432 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42401A2977432.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = {{TNCStatus}}
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = <ref name="NatureServe">{{Cite NatureServe |date=6 December 2024 |id=2.960175 |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' |access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>
| parent = Pinus subsect. Ponderosae
| display_parents = 3
| taxon = Pinus ponderosa
| authority = [[David Douglas (botanist)|Douglas]] ex [[C.Lawson]]
| range_map = Pinus ponderosa subspecies range map 1.gif
| range_map_caption = Natural range of ''Pinus ponderosa''
<div style="background-color:#90ee90">green - ''P. ponderosa'' var. ''ponderosa''</div>
<div style="background-color:#ee9090">red - ''P. ponderosa'' var. ''benthamiana''</div>
<div style="background-color:#9090ee">blue - ''P. ponderosa'' var. ''scopulorum''</div>
<div style="background-color:#eeee90">yellow - ''P. ponderosa'' var. ''brachyptera''</div>
}}

'''''Pinus ponderosa''''', commonly known as the '''ponderosa pine''',<ref>{{PLANTS |id=PIPO |taxon=Pinus ponderosa |access-date=31 January 2016 |postscript=; with distribution map.}}</ref> '''bull pine''', '''blackjack pine''',<ref name="Moore2008">{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=Gerry |last2=Kershner |first2=Bruce |first3=Craig |last3=Tufts |first4=Daniel |last4=Mathews |first5=Gil |last5=Nelson |last6=Spellenberg |first6=Richard |last7=Thieret |first7=John W. |first8=Terry |last8=Purinton |last9=Block |first9=Andrew  |title=National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America |publisher=Sterling |location=New York, New York |year=2008 |page=89 |isbn=978-1-4027-3875-3}}</ref> '''western yellow-pine''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}</ref> or '''filipinus pine''',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marcus|first=M, P|title=United States Pines, Local Nomenclatures and Their Origins|publisher=Bonanza Books|year=1969|pages=420–422}}</ref> is a very large [[Pinus|pine]] tree species of variable habitat [[native plant|native]] to mountainous regions of western [[North America]]. It is the most widely distributed pine species in North America.<ref name="NRVYP">Safford, H.D. 2013. Natural Range of Variation (NRV) for yellow pine and mixed conifer forests in the bioregional assessment area, including the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and Modoc and Inyo National Forests. Unpublished report. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Vallejo, CA, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150529154515/http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5434331.pdf]</ref>{{rp|4}}

''Pinus ponderosa'' grows in various erect forms from [[British Columbia]] southward and eastward through 16 western [[U.S. state]]s and has been introduced in temperate regions of Europe and in New Zealand. It was first documented in modern science in 1826 in eastern [[Washington (state)|Washington]] near present-day [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]] (of which it is the official city tree).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ponderosa pine named Spokane's official city tree {{!}} The Spokesman-Review|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/apr/22/ponderosa-pine-named-spokane-official-city-tree/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Groover|first=Heidi|title=Hey, Spokane, you now have a city tree|url=https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2014/04/22/hey-spokane-you-now-have-a-city-tree|access-date=2021-02-04|website=Inlander|language=en}}</ref> On that occasion, [[David Douglas (botanist)|David Douglas]] misidentified it as ''[[Pinus resinosa]]'' (red pine). In 1829, Douglas concluded that he had a new pine among his specimens and coined the name ''Pinus ponderosa''<ref>{{cite journal|title=The identity of ''Pinus ponderosa'' Douglas ex C. Lawson (Pinaceae)|first=F.|last=Lauria|journal=Linzer Biologische Beitraege|year=1996|url=https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/LBB_0028_2_0999-1052.pdf}}</ref> for its heavy wood. In 1836, it was formally named and described by [[Charles Lawson (nurseryman)|Charles Lawson]], a Scottish nurseryman.<ref>{{cite book|title=The agriculturist's manual: being a familiar description of agricultural plants cultivated in Europe|author4=C. P. Lawson and Sons|location=Edinburgh U.K.|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|year=1836}}</ref> It was adopted as the official state tree of [[Montana]]<ref name="montana">{{cite web|url=http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/portraits/ponderosapine.htm|work=Montana Outdoors|title=Ponderosa Pine|author=Dickson, Tom|publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks|access-date=February 18, 2015|archive-date=April 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429025518/http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/portraits/ponderosapine.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> in 1949.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=March 13, 2021|title=American Profile|url=https://americanprofile.com/articles/ponderosa-pine-montana-state-tree/}}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:PonderosaPinebarkidaho.JPG|thumb|left|upright|''Pinus ponderosa'' in [[Idaho]]]]

''Pinus ponderosa'' is a large [[conifer]]ous [[pine]] ([[evergreen]]) tree. The [[Bark (botany)|bark]] helps distinguish it from other species. Mature to overmature individuals have yellow to orange-red bark in broad to very broad plates with black crevices.<ref name=":0" /> Younger trees have blackish-brown bark,<ref name=":0" /> referred to as "blackjacks" by early loggers. Ponderosa pine's five [[Variety (botany)|varieties]], as classified by some botanists, can be identified by their characteristically bright-green needles (contrasting with blue-green needles that distinguish [[Jeffrey pine]]). The Pacific variety has the longest—{{convert|19.8|cm|abbr=off|order=flip|frac=4}}—and most flexible needles in plume-like [[Fascicle (botany)|fascicles]] of three. The Columbia ponderosa pine has long—{{cvt|12|–|20.5|cm|order=flip|frac=4}}—and relatively flexible needles in fascicles of three. The Rocky Mountains variety has shorter—{{cvt|9.2|–|14.4|cm|order=flip|frac=4}}—and stout needles growing in scopulate (bushy, tuft-like) fascicles of two or three. The southwestern variety has {{cvt|11.2|–|19.8|cm|order=flip|frac=4}}, stout needles in fascicles of three (averaging {{convert|68.5-89|mm|frac=4|abbr=in|disp=or|order=flip}}). The central High Plains variety is characterized by the fewest needles (1.4 per whorl, on average); stout, upright branches at narrow angles from the trunk; and long green needles—{{cvt|14.8|–|17.9|cm|abbr=on|order=flip|frac=4}}—extending farthest along the branch, resembling a fox tail. Needles are widest, stoutest, and fewest (averaging {{cvt|56-71|mm|disp=or|order=flip|frac=4}}) for the species.<ref name= RP-264>{{cite web|title=Pinus ponderosa: A Taxonomic Review with Five Subspecies in the United States|first=Robert Z.| last= Callaham|publisher=USDA Forest Service |id= PSW RP-264| date=September 2013|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_rp264/psw_rp264.pdf }}</ref><ref name=RP-265>{{cite news|title=Pinus ponderosa: Geographic Races and Subspecies Based on Morphological Variation|first=Robert Z.|last=Callaham|publisher=USDA Forest Service |id= PSW RP-265|date=September 2013 |url= http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_rp265/psw_rp265.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|isbn=978-0-88192-974-4|title=Conifers of the World| first= James| last= Eckenwalder| publisher= Timber Press|location= Portland, Oregon|year=2009}}</ref>

The egg-shaped cones, which are often found in great number under trees, are {{Convert|8-13|cm|order=flip|frac=2|abbr=on}} long. They are purple when first chewed off by squirrels, but become more brown and spherical as they dry.<ref name=":0" /> Each scale has a sharp point.<ref name=":0" />

Sources differ on the scent of ''P. ponderosa''. Some state that the bark smells of [[turpentine]], which could reflect the dominance of terpenes (alpha- and beta-pinenes, as well as delta-3-carene).<ref>{{cite book|title=Monoterpenes of ponderosa pine in Western United States|first=Richard H.|last=Smith|publisher=USDA Forest Service|id=Tech. Bull. 1532|year=1977}}</ref> Others state that it has no distinctive scent,<ref name="schoenherr">{{cite book|title=A Natural History of California| first=Allan A.|last=Schoenherr| publisher=University of California Press| year=1995|page=111}}</ref> while still others state that the bark smells like vanilla if sampled from a furrow.<ref>{{cite book|title=A field guide to Rocky Mountain and southwest forests|first=John C|last=Kricher|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|year=1998|page=194}}</ref> Sources agree that the Jeffrey pine is more strongly scented than the ponderosa pine.<ref name="schoenherr" /><ref>{{cite book|title=A field guide to California and Pacific Northwest forests|first=John C.|last=Kricher|year=1998|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|page=107}}</ref> When carved into, [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]]-filled stumps emit a scent of fresh pitch.<ref name=":0" />

=== Size ===
[[File:Quartz Mountain Pass, Highway 140 - DPLA - ec58bce133db424d05c432830123eb18.jpg|thumb|left|Ponderosa pines at [[Quartz Mountain, Oregon|Quartz Mountain]] Pass, Oregon]]The [[National Register of Big Trees]] lists a ponderosa pine that is {{convert|235|ft|m|abbr=in}} tall and {{cvt|8.2|m|ft|order=flip}} in circumference.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/register.php?details=3961|publisher=American Forests|work=National Register of Big Trees|title=Pacific ponderosa pine}}</ref> In January 2011, a Pacific ponderosa pine in the [[Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest]] in Oregon was measured with a laser to be {{cvt|81.79|m|ftin|order=flip}} high. The measurement was performed by [[Michael Taylor (forester)|Michael Taylor]] and Mario Vaden, a professional [[arborist]] from [[Oregon]]. The tree was climbed on October&nbsp;13, 2011, by Ascending The Giants (a tree-climbing company in [[Portland, Oregon]]) and directly measured with tape-line at {{cvt|81.77|m|ftin|order=flip}} high.<ref>{{Gymnosperm Database |family=Pinaceae |genus=Pinus |species=ponderosa |subspecies=benthamiana |access-date= January 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110123/NEWS/101230353/| title=Tallest of the tall| date=January 23, 2011| first=Paul| last=Fattig| newspaper=Mail Tribune| location=Medford, Oregon| access-date=January 27, 2011| archive-date=September 23, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923095326/http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110123%2FNEWS%2F101230353%2F| url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2015, a ''[[Pinus lambertiana]]'' specimen was measured at {{cvt|83.45|m|ftin|1|order=flip|frac=4}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_lambertiana.php|title=Pinus lambertiana|work=Gymnosperm Database|accessdate=2021-04-24}}</ref> which surpassed the ponderosa pine previously considered the world's tallest pine tree.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/oregon-forest-home-worlds-tallest-living-pine-tree|title=Oregon Forest Home for World's Tallest Living Pine Tree|first=Keith|last=Riggs|publisher=US Forest Service|access-date=2021-04-24}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
''Pinus ponderosa'' was [[Author citation (botany)|scientifically described]] and named by [[Charles Lawson (nurseryman)|Charles Lawson]] working from information provided by [[David Douglas (botanist)|David Douglas]] in 1836.<ref name="POWO P ponderosa" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lawson |first1=Charles |last2=Lawson |first2=Peter |author1-link=Charles Lawson (nurseryman) |title=The Agriculturist's Manual : Being a Familiar Description of the Agricultural Plants Cultivated in Europe : Including Practical Observations Respecting Those Suited to the Climate of Great Britain and Forming a Report of Lawson's Agricultural Museum in Edinburgh |date=1836 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh: Thomas Cadell, 141 Strand, London; and W. Curry Jun. & Co., Dublin |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |pages=354-355 |url=https://archive.org/details/agriculturistsma00pete/page/355 |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>

The taxonomy of the ponderosa pine is heavily disputed by botanists and foresters. As recently as 2013 Robert Z. Callaham writing a research paper for the US Forest Service claimed that it is a single species from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast divided into five [[subspecies]].<ref name="RP-264" /><ref name="RP-265" /> However, the USDA [[Natural Resources Conservation Service]] PLANTS database (PLANTS) lists these as [[Variety (botany)|varieties]] {{As of|2025|lc=y}}.<ref name="NRCS">{{cite usda plants|symbol=PIPO |title=Pinus ponderosa |date=21 March 2025}}</ref> In the World Plants database maintained by Michael Hassler only three varieties are recognized, one described in 2024.<ref name="World Plants">{{cite web |last1=Hassler |first1=Michael |date=2025 |title=Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 25.03 |url=https://www.worldplants.de |website=World Plants |language=en |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref> On the other hand the [[World Flora Online]] (WFO) lists just two varieties.<ref>{{Cite WFO |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' Douglas ex C.Lawson |id=0000481903 |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref> While [[Plants of the World Online]] (POWO) lists four varieties, but separates out two other [[taxa]] recognized as varieties as species.<ref name="POWO P ponderosa">{{cite POWO |id=307165-2 |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' Douglas ex C.Lawson |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="POWO P scopulorum">{{cite POWO |id=263310-1 |title=''Pinus scopulorum'' (Engelm.) Lemmon |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="POWO P brachyptera">{{cite POWO |id=307170-2 |title=''Pinus brachyptera'' Engelm. |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref> Similarly to POWO Christopher J. Earle writes in the Gymnosperm Database that the ponderosa pine has three subspecies and recognizes two taxa as species.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Earle |first1=Christopher J. |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' (ponderosa pine) description |url=https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_ponderosa.php |website=The Gymnosperm Database |access-date=22 March 2025 |date=10 February 2025}}</ref> In the [[Flora of North America]] (FNA) three varieties are recognized.<ref name="FNA P ponderosa">{{cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Kral |first1=Robert |date=29 July 2020 |orig-date=1993 |url=http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Pinus_ponderosa |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' |website=[[Flora of North America]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-508242-5 |oclc=504195332 |access-date=22 March 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250322163234/https://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Pinus_ponderosa |archive-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>

=== Subspecies and varieties ===
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''arizonica'' ([[Engelm.]]) [[George R. Shaw|Shaw]]
:: This variety is listed in the Flora of North America,<ref name="FNA P ponderosa" /> but is generally recognized as the species ''[[Pinus arizonica]]''.<ref>{{cite POWO |id=196911-2 |title=''Pinus arizonica'' Engelm. |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite WFO |title=''Pinus arizonica'' Engelm. |id=0000482307 |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''benthamiana'' ([[Hartw.]]) [[George Vasey (botanist)|Vasey]]
:: The [[Olympic Peninsula]] in Washington State, Oregon west of the Cascade Range, the whole of California, and far north eastern Nevada. This variety is recognized by PLANTS as the correct name for subspecies ''critchfieldiana''.<ref name="NRCS var benthamiana">{{cite usda plants|symbol=PIPOB2 |title=Pinus ponderosa var. benthamiana |date=22 March 2025}}</ref> It is also listed as accepted by POWO,<ref name="POWO P ponderosa" /> but is considered a synonym of var. ''ponderosa'' by both World Plants and WFO.<ref name="World Plants" /><ref name="WFO var ponderosa">{{Cite WFO |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''ponderosa'' |id=0001091666 |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''brachyptera'' [[George Engelmann|Engelm.]] – southwestern ponderosa pine<ref name="NRCS var brachyptera">{{cite usda plants|symbol=PIPOB3 |title=Pinus ponderosa var. brachyptera |date=22 March 2025}}</ref>
:: Four corners transition zone, including southern Colorado, southern Utah, northern and central New Mexico and Arizona, westernmost Texas, and a single disjunct population in the far northwestern Oklahoma panhandle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine |url=http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/pipo.htm |work=Catalog of the Woody Plants of Oklahoma |publisher=Oklahoma Biological Survey}}</ref> The [[Gila Wilderness]] contains one of the world's largest and healthiest forests.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Arizona Mountains forests|id=na0503}}</ref> Hot with bimodal monsoonal rainfall; wet winters and summers contrast with dry springs and falls; mild winters. This variety is recognized in PLANTS,<ref name="NRCS var brachyptera" /> but is considered a synonym of var. ''scopulorum'' by WFO and FNA,<ref name="WFO var scopulorum">{{Cite WFO |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''scopulorum'' Engelm. |id=0000490276 |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="FNA var scopulorum">{{cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Kral |first1=Robert |date=29 July 2020 |orig-date=1993 |url=http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Pinus_ponderosa_var._scopulorum |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''scopulorum'' |website=[[Flora of North America]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-508242-5 |oclc=504195332 |access-date=22 March 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615045850/http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Pinus_ponderosa_var._scopulorum |archive-date=15 June 2024}}</ref> of var. ''ponderosa'' by World Plants,<ref name="World Plants" /> and as the species ''Pinus brachyptera'' by POWO.<ref name="POWO P brachyptera" />
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''pacifica'' J.R. Haller & Vivrette – Pacific ponderosa pine
:: {{cvt|100|–|2700|m|ft}} on coastal-draining slopes of major mountain ranges in California, and in southwestern Oregon, Washington.<ref name="Jepson var pacifica">{{cite web |last1=Haller |first1=J. Robert |last2=Vivrette |first2=Nancy J. |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''pacifica'' |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=93845 |website=Jepson eFlora |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=22 March 2025 |date=2012}}</ref> This variety was described in 2011 by John Robert Haller and Nancy J. Vivrette.<ref name="POWO var pacifica">{{cite POWO |id=60455739-2 |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''pacifica'' J.R.Haller & Vivrette |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref> It is accepted by POWO, but is considered a synonym of var. ''ponderosa'' by WFO and World Plants.<ref name="WFO var ponderosa" /><ref name="World Plants" />
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''ponderosa'' [[David Douglas (botanist)|Douglas]] ex C. Lawson – Columbia ponderosa pine, North plateau ponderosa pine<ref>{{Calflora|Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa|access-date=}}</ref>
:: This is the [[Autonym (botany)|autonymic]] variety of the species.<ref name="POWO P ponderosa" /> Its range depends upon how many varieties are combined with it, if combined with var. ''pacifica'' and/or var. ''benthamiana'' as in FNA it extends further south into California, but not inland to Montana.<ref name="FNA var ponderosa">{{cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Kral |first1=Robert |date=29 July 2020 |orig-date=1993 |url=http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Pinus_ponderosa_var._ponderosa |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''ponderosa'' |website=[[Flora of North America]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-508242-5 |oclc=504195332 |access-date=26 March 2025}}</ref> The definition of the variety used by [[Jepson Herbarium]] similarly includes southeast British Columbia, eastern Washington State and Oregon east of the Cascade Range, northeastern California, and northwestern Nevada, but additionally indludes Idaho and west of the Helena, Montana. This area has cool, relatively moist summers; very cold, snowy winters (except in the very hot and very dry summers of central Oregon, most notably near Bend, which also has very cold and generally dry winters).<ref>{{Jepson eFlora|63805|''Pinus ponderosa'' subsp. ''ponderosa''|access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{PLANTS|symbol=PIPOP|taxon=Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa|postscript=; with distribution map.}}</ref>
* ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''scopulorum'' ([[George Engelmann|Engelm.]] in S.Watson) E. Murray, Kalmia 12:23, 1982 – Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine<ref name="FNA var scopulorum" />
:: Variety ''scopulorum'' is recognized by WFO,<ref name="WFO var scopulorum" /> PLANTS,<ref>{{cite usda plants|symbol=PIPOS |title=Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum |date=26 March 2025}}</ref> World Plants,<ref name="World Plants" /> and the FNA.<ref name="FNA var scopulorum" /> It is considered a species by POWO.<ref name="POWO P scopulorum" /> The distribution of this taxa is different depending on its definition, for example being very widespread in the FNA and much more restricted in POWO.<ref name="FNA var scopulorum" /><ref name="POWO P scopulorum" />
* [[Pinus ponderosa var. washoensis|''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''washoensis'']] (H. Mason & Stockw.) J.R. Haller & Vivrette – Washoe pine<ref name="calflorawashoensis">{{Calflora|Pinus ponderosa var. washoensis|access-date=}}</ref>
:: Predominantly in northeastern California, and into Nevada and Oregon, at {{cvt|2000|–|3000|m|ft}}, upper mixed-conifer to lower subalpine habitats.<ref name="jepsonwashoensis">{{Jepson eFlora|93844|''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''washoensis''|access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref><ref name="usdawashoensis">{{PLANTS|symbol=PIPOW2|taxon=Pinus ponderosa var. washoensis|postscript=; with distribution map.}}</ref>

Distributions of the subspecies in the United States are shown in shadow on the map. Distribution of ponderosa pine is from Critchfield and Little.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Critchfield |first1=WB |title=Geographic distribution of the pines of the world |last2=Little |first2=EL |publisher=USDA Forest Service |year=1966 |id=Miscellaneous Publication 991, p. 16 (Map 47)}}</ref> The closely related five-needled [[Arizona pine]] (''Pinus arizonica'') extends southward into Mexico.

Before the distinctions between the North Plateau and Pacific races were fully documented, most botanists assumed that ponderosa pines in both areas were the same. In 1948, when a botanist and a geneticist from California found a distinct tree on Mt. Rose in western Nevada with some marked differences from the ponderosa pine they knew in California, they described it as a new species, Washoe pine ''Pinus washoensis''. Subsequent research determined this to be one of the southernmost outliers of the typical North Plateau race of ponderosa pine.<ref name="RP-264" />{{rp|30–31}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Haller |first=JR |year=1961 |title=Some recent observations on ponderosa, Jeffrey, and Washoe pines in northeastern California |journal=Madroño |volume=16 |pages=126–132}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Haller |first=JR |year=1965 |title=Pinus washoensis: taxonomic and evolutionary implications |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=52 |issue=6 |page=646 |jstor=2440143}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Lauria |first=F |year=1997 |title=The taxonomic status of (Pinus washoensis) H. Mason & Stockw |journal=Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien |volume=99B |pages=655–671}}</ref> Its current classification is ''Pinus ponderosa'' var. ''washoensis''.<ref name="calflorawashoensis" /><ref name="jepsonwashoensis" /><ref name="usdawashoensis" />

An additional variety, tentatively named [[Pinus ponderosa var. willamettensis|''P. p.'' var. ''willamettensis'']], found in the [[Willamette Valley]] in western Oregon, is rare.<ref name="hcn12">{{cite journal |last=Ryan |first=Catherine |date=March 19, 2012 |title=Loggers give unique Oregon ponderosa pine a lifeline |url=http://www.hcn.org/issues/44.5/loggers-give-unique-oregon-ponderosa-pine-a-lifeline |journal=High Country News |location=Paonia, Colorado |access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref> This is likely just one of the many islands of Pacific subspecies of ponderosa pine occurring in the Willamette Valley and extending north to the southeast end of Puget Sound in Washington.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

=== Distinguishing subspecies ===
The subspecies of ''P. ponderosa'' can be distinguished by measurements along several dimensions:<ref name="RP-264" />{{rp|23–24}}<ref name="RP-265" />{{rp|17}}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:88%"
|-
! &nbsp;Common name
! &nbsp;Pacific&nbsp;
! &nbsp;Columbia&nbsp;
! &nbsp;Rocky Mountains&nbsp;
! &nbsp;Southwestern&nbsp;
! &nbsp;Central High Plains&nbsp;
|-
! &nbsp;Scientific name
! &nbsp;''P. p. critchfieldiana''&nbsp;
! &nbsp;''P. p. ponderosa''&nbsp;
! &nbsp;''P. p. scopulorum''&nbsp;
! &nbsp;''P. p. brachyptera''&nbsp;
! &nbsp;''P. p. readiana''&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Years needles remain green
| &nbsp;3.9±0.25, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.7±0.14, N=50&nbsp;
| &nbsp;5.7±0.28, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.3±0.18, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.7±0.18, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Foliage length on branch (cm)
| &nbsp;25.1±2.4, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;26.2±2.2, N=50&nbsp;
| &nbsp;21.1±1.7, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;21.8±2.7, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;42.2±6.7, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Needle length (cm)
| &nbsp;19.8±0.44, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;16.8±0.29, N=48&nbsp;
| &nbsp;11.2±0.27, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;14.7±0.45, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;15.6±0.57, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Needles per fascicle
| &nbsp;3.0±0.00, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;3.0±0.00, N=48&nbsp;
| &nbsp;2.6±0.06, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;3.0±0.03, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;2.4±0.11, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Needle thickness
| &nbsp;45.9±0.49, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;47.8±0.51, N=48&nbsp;
| &nbsp;46.4±0.68, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;44.8±0.87, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;49.7±0.61, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Branches per whorl
| &nbsp;4.4±0.13, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;3.7±0.11, N=50&nbsp;
| &nbsp;3.0±0.17, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;3.4±0.25, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;2.3±0.11, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Branch angle (° from vertical)
| &nbsp;56±1.8, N=30&nbsp;
| &nbsp;51±1.7, N=50&nbsp;
| &nbsp;50±2.3, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;48±3.1, N=24&nbsp;
| &nbsp;36±1.9, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed cones length (mm)
| &nbsp;101.4±2.48, N=25&nbsp;
| &nbsp;88.7±1.24, N=36&nbsp;
| &nbsp;70.7±2.20, N=22&nbsp;
| &nbsp;74.9±2.51, N=20&nbsp;
| &nbsp;71.1±2.46, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed cones width (mm)
| &nbsp;77.1±1.35, N=25&nbsp;
| &nbsp;71.6±0.73, N=36&nbsp;
| &nbsp;61.5±1.08, N=22&nbsp;
| &nbsp;62.6±1.77, N=20&nbsp;
| &nbsp;63.3±2.18, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed cone form W/L
| &nbsp;0.80±0.03, N=25&nbsp;
| &nbsp;0.84±0.03, N=36&nbsp;
| &nbsp;0.90±0.02, N=22&nbsp;
| &nbsp;0.86±0.02, N=20&nbsp;
| &nbsp;0.90±0.03, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed length (mm)
| &nbsp;7.5±0.08, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;7.6±0.16, N=14&nbsp;
| &nbsp;6.3±0.09, N=17&nbsp;
| &nbsp;6.4±0.18, N=16&nbsp;
| &nbsp;7.0±0.12, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed width (mm)
| &nbsp;4.9±0.05, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.9±0.08, N=14&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.1±0.05, N=17&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.3±0.09, N=16&nbsp;
| &nbsp;4.5±0.10, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Seed + wing length (mm)
| &nbsp;32.3±0.58, N=23&nbsp;
| &nbsp;24.8±0.62, N=14&nbsp;
| &nbsp;22.9±0.63, N=17&nbsp;
| &nbsp;23.3±0.68, N=15&nbsp;
| &nbsp;23.1±0.78, N=5&nbsp;
|-
| &nbsp;Mature cone color<ref>Smith, R. H. (1981). "Variation in cone color of immature ponderosa pine (Pinaceae) in northern California and southern Oregon". Madroño 28: 272–275.</ref>
| &nbsp;apple green to yellow green
| &nbsp;green & red-brown to dark purple
| &nbsp;green & red-brown to dark purple
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;green & red-brown to dark purple
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

Names of taxa and transition zones are on the map.<br />
Numbers in columns were derived from multiple measurements of samples taken from 10 (infrequently fewer) trees on a varying number of geographically dispersed plots.<br />
Numbers in each cell show calculated mean ± standard error and number of plots.

== Distribution ==
[[File:Pinus ponderosa scopulorum Custer State Park SD.jpg|thumb|upright|Subspecies ''P. p, scopulorum'', [[Custer State Park]], South Dakota]]
''Pinus ponderosa'' is a dominant tree in the [[A. W. Kuchler|Kuchler]] plant association, the [[ponderosa shrub forest]]. Like most western pines, the ponderosa is generally associated with mountainous topography. However, it is found on banks of the [[Niobrara River]] in Nebraska. Scattered stands occur in the [[Willamette Valley]] of Oregon and in the [[Okanagan Valley]] and [[Puget Sound]] areas of Washington. Stands occur throughout low level valleys in British Columbia reaching as far north as the Thompson, Fraser and Columbia watersheds. In its Northern limits, it grows only below {{Convert|1300|m|ft|order=flip}} elevation, but is most common below {{Convert|800|m|order=flip}}. Ponderosa covers {{convert | 1 | e6acre}}, or 80%,<ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://www.southdakotamagazine.com/old-growth-pines | title = The Old Growth Pines | last = Meierhenry | first = Mark | date = March 2008 | magazine = [[South Dakota Magazine]]}}</ref> of the [[Black Hills]] of [[South Dakota]]. It is found on foothills and mid-height peaks of the northern, central, and southern [[Rocky Mountains]], in the [[Cascade Range]], in the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]], and in the maritime-influenced [[Coast Range (EPA ecoregion)|Coast Range]]. In [[Arizona]], it predominates on the [[Mogollon Rim]] and is scattered on the [[Mogollon Plateau]] and on mid-height peaks ({{convert|6000|to|9300|ft|m|disp=semicolon}}) in Arizona and [[New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Pines of Mexico and Central America|first=JP Jr.|last=Perry|publisher=Timber Press|location=Portland, Oregon|year=1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Muldavin |first1=Esteban H. |last2=DeVelice |first2=Robert L. |last3=Ronco |first3=Frank |title=A classification of forest habitat types of the southern Arizona and portions of the Colorado Plateau |journal=General Technical Report |date=1996 |pages=26, 28 |url=https://archive.org/details/CAT10822714/page/26 |access-date=20 November 2023 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station (Fort Collins |location=Fort Collins, Colorado}}</ref> Arizona pine (''P. arizonica''), found primarily in the mountains of extreme southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and northern Mexico and sometimes classified as a variety of ponderosa pine, is presently recognized as a separate species.<ref>{{Silvics|volume = 1 |genus =Pinus |species = ponderosa |first1 = William W|last1= Oliver|first2=Russell A|last2= Ryker|access-date = 2020-03-12}}</ref> Ponderosa pine are also found in the [[Chisos Mountains|Chisos]], [[Davis Mountains|Davis]], and [[Guadalupe Mountains]] of [[Texas]], at elevations between {{convert|4000|and|8000|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine, Interior Ponderosa PIne, Black Hills Ponderosa Pine, Ponderosa Pine|work=Texas Native Plants Database|url=https://aggie-hort.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/PINUSPONDEROSA.HTM|access-date=2024-03-16}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
{{main|Ponderosa pine forest}}
The [[fire cycle]] for ponderosa pine is 5 to 10 years, in which a natural ignition sparks a low-intensity fire.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-starts-massive-forest-thinning-project|title=U.S. Starts Massive Forest-Thinning Project|date=March 22, 2013|journal=Scientific American|author1=Stecker, Tiffany |author2=ClimateWire |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> Low, once-a-decade fires are known to have helped specimens live for half a millennium or more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Arno|first1=Stephen F.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1141235469|title=Northwest Trees: Identifying & Understanding the Region's Native Trees|last2=Hammerly|first2=Ramona P.|publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]]|year=2020|isbn=978-1-68051-329-5|edition=field guide|location=Seattle|pages=49–57|language=en|oclc=1141235469|orig-date=1977}}</ref> The tree has thick bark, and its buds are protected by needles, allowing even some younger individuals to survive weaker fires.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to being adapted to dry, fire-affected areas, the species often appears on the edges of deserts as it is comparatively drought resistant, partly due to the ability to close its leaf pores.<ref name=":0" /> It can also draw some of its water from sandy soils.<ref name=":0" /> Despite being relatively widespread in the American West, it is [[Shade tolerance|intolerant of shade]].<ref name=":0" />

''Pinus ponderosa'' needles are the only known food of the [[caterpillar]]s of the [[Gelechiidae|gelechiid]] [[moth]] ''Chionodes retiniella''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Western Forest Insects|first1=RL|last1=Furniss|first2=VM|last2=Carolin|publisher=US Department of Agriculture Forest Service|page=177|year=1977|id=Miscellaneous Publication 1339}}</ref> [[Blue stain fungus]], ''Grosmannia clavigera'', is introduced in sapwood of ''P. ponderosa'' from the galleries of all species in the genus ''[[Dendroctonus]]'' ([[mountain pine beetle]]), which has caused much damage. [[Dendroctonus brevicomis|Western pine]] and other beetles can be found consuming the bark.<ref name="USDA">{{cite book|last1=Patterson|first1=Patricia A.|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_gtr180.pdf|title=Field Guide to the Forest Plants of Northern Idaho|date=1985|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service|page=20}}</ref> The seeds are eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, quail, grouse, and [[Clark's nutcracker]], while mule deer browse the seedlings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peattie |first=Donald Culross |author-link=Donald C. Peattie |title=A Natural History of Western Trees |year=1953 |publisher=[[Bonanza Books]] |location=New York |pages=83–84, 86}}</ref> [[American black bear]]s can climb up to 12 feet up a ponderosa.<ref name=":0" />

Various animals nest in the ponderosa pines, such as the [[piliated woodpecker]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bull |first1=Evelyn L. |title=Ecology of the pileated woodpecker in northeastern Oregon |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |year=1987 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=472–481 |doi=10.2307/3801036 |jstor=3801036 |quote=On the Stakey Experimental Forest in northeastern Oregon, piliated woodpeckers nested in dead ponderosa pine}}</ref>

=== Pathology ===
''Pinus ponderosa'' is affected by ''[[Armillaria]]'', ''[[Phaeolus schweinitzii]]'', ''[[Fomes|Fomes pini]]'', ''[[Atropellis canker]]'', [[dwarf mistletoe]], ''[[Polyporus anceps]]'', ''[[Verticicladiella]]'', ''Elytroderma'' [[Cyclaneusma needle cast|needle cast]], and [[western gall rust]].<ref name="USDA" />

=== As an invasive species ===
''Pinus ponderosa'' is classed as a "[[Wilding conifer|wilding pine]]" and spreads as an [[invasive species]] throughout the high country of New Zealand, where it is beginning to take over, causing the native species of plants not to be able to grow in those locations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=GISD|url=http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=890|access-date=2021-03-10|website=www.iucngisd.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wilding Pines|first=Quick ID|date=October 2018|title=Wilding Conifer:Quick ID Guide|url=https://www.wildingconifers.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Wilding-Conifer-QUICK-ID-GUIDE6.pdf|access-date=March 10, 2021|website=wildingconifers.org.nz}}</ref> It is also considered a "weed" in parts of Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Victorian Resources Online |first=Agriculture Victoria |title=Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) |url=http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/weeds_ponderosa-pine |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Uses ==
Native Americans consumed the seeds and sweet inner bark. They chewed the dried pitch, which was also used as a salve. They used the limbs and branches as firewood and building material, and the trunks were carved into canoes. The needles and roots were made into baskets. The needles were also boiled into a solution to treat coughs and fevers.<ref name=":0" />

=== Commercial Uses ===
[[File:Truck load of ponderosa pine, Edward Hines Lumber Co, operations in Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon, July 1942.jpg|thumb|Truck load of ponderosa pine.]]
Ponderosa pine has long been an important commercial timber species in western North America, valued for its versatile wood. In both the United States and Canada (primarily British Columbia), ponderosa pine forests have been harvested for lumber and other wood products since the 19th century.<ref name="LoweryFPL">David P. Lowery. ''Ponderosa Pine: An American Wood''. Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. [https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/usda/amwood/254ponder.pdf Ponderosa Pine PDF]</ref><ref name="BCGovPonderosa">Government of British Columbia. ''Ponderosa Pine.'' January 25, 2024. [https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/silviculture/tree-species-selection/tree-species-compendium-index/ponderosa-pine Website]</ref> Old-growth trees were widely used by settlers as lumber, including for railroads. The wood is pale yellow to light brown, straight-grained, and moderately soft, making it suitable for a wide range of applications in construction and manufacturing.<ref name="WWPAPonderosa">Western Wood Products Association. ''Ponderosa Pine''. [https://www.wwpa.org/western-lumber/species/ponderosa-pine PDF]</ref> Younger trees are of poor quality for lumber due to the tendency to warp.<ref name=":0" />

====Structural lumber====

Ponderosa pine is extensively used as dimensional lumber in light construction. Its timber is easily milled and was one of the first western woods shipped in quantity to eastern markets in the early 20th century.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /> Common construction uses have included framing (studs and joists), roof decking, and sheathing in houses where only moderate strength is required.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /> By the mid-20th century, annual production of ponderosa pine lumber was very high; for example, harvests exceeded 3 billion board feet per year by the late 1930s and peaked at over 4 billion board feet in 1941.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /> 

In addition to sawtimber, ponderosa pine is used in round log form for various purposes. The straight trunks were historically sought for utility poles and fence posts; when properly dried or treated, the wood has fair durability in these uses.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /> Early 20th-century mining operations also used ponderosa pine for mine timbers and tunnel supports.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /> The wood from younger, fast-grown ponderosa pines tends to warp, limiting its use in structural applications. Historically, the highest quality heavy timbers came from large, old-growth trees.<ref name="USDASpeciesReview">United States Department of Agriculture. ''Ponderosa Pine, Species Review.'' 2018. [https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pinponp/all.pdf PDF]</ref>

===== Blue stained pine ===== 
[[File:Blue stain fungus 01.jpg|thumb|[[Grosmannia clavigera]] (blue stain fungus).]]
Blue-stained pine is wood marked by blue-gray streaks caused by fungi spread by the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae). As the beetles infest trees like ponderosa and lodgepole pine, they introduce blue-stain fungi (Grosmannia spp.), which colonize the sapwood but do not weaken the wood structurally. Although often discounted in the marketplace due to its appearance, blue-stained pine is gaining popularity in sustainable and rustic design, where its distinct color is embraced as a natural and decorative feature.<ref>{{cite web |title=Study: Blue-stained pine can add value through thermal modification processing |url=https://seas.umich.edu/news/study-blue-stained-pine-can-add-value-through-thermal-modification-processing |website=University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2025-05-15}}</ref>

==== Engineered Wood and Paper Products ====
Ponderosa pine is widely used in the production of engineered wood and pulp products. A large share of harvested logs goes into plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, and paper.<ref name="LoweryFPL">David P. Lowery. ''Ponderosa Pine: An American Wood''. Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. [https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/usda/amwood/254ponder.pdf Ponderosa Pine PDF]</ref> Ponderosa pine peeler logs are rotary-cut to produce veneer, which is used in plywood panels.<ref name="LoweryFPL" />Although it is less strong than Douglas-fir plywood, it meets the requirements for many light-duty structural and non-structural applications, including furniture panels and drawer bottoms.<ref name="LoweryFPL" /><ref name="USDAFactSheet">United States Department of Agriculture. ''Plant Fact Sheet: Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson)''. [https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_pipo.pdf PDF]</ref> The wood’s light color and pleasant pine scent add to its appeal for interior use.

==== Notable uses and structures ====
[[File:Grand Canyon. North Rim. Grand Canyon Lodge 03.jpg|thumb|Ponderosa pine ceiling in the historic [[Grand Canyon Lodge]].]]
Because of its abundance and warm appearance, ponderosa pine has been used in many notable western U.S. buildings, often contributing to a rustic, [[parkitecture]] aesthetic. One iconic example is the [[Grand Canyon Lodge]] where architect [[Gilbert Stanley Underwood]] used massive ponderosa beams for the sloped roof and expansive interiors.<ref name="NPSGrandCanyonLodge">National Register of Historic Places. ''Inventory – Nomination Form: Grand Canyon Lodge.'' [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75609759 National Archives Catalog]</ref> Another example is [[Fuller Lodge]] in Los Alamos, New Mexico, using more than 700 locally harvested ponderosa logs in its log-style design.<ref name="NPSFullerLodge">National Park Service. ''Fuller Lodge – Manhattan Project National Historical Park.'' [https://www.nps.gov/places/000/fuller-lodge.htm National Park Service]</ref>

=== Cultivation ===
[[File:Pinus ponderosa as bonsai.jpg|thumb|Pinus ponderosa as [[bonsai]]. This tree is estimated to be over 40 years old. The long length of the needles is the main challenge when training this species as bonsai.]]
Cultivated as a [[bonsai]], ponderosas are prized for their rough, flaky bark, contorted trunks, flexible limbs, and dramatic deadwood. Collected specimens can be wildly sculpted by their environment, resulting in beautiful twisted trunks, limbs and deadwood. In the mountains they can be found growing in pockets in the rock, stunting their growth. The main challenge for this species in bonsai cultivation is the natural long length of its needles, which takes years of training and care to reduce.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.eastbaybonsai.org/ebbs-spotlight/ponderosa-pines-pinus-ponderosa-as-a-bonsai/ | title=Ponderosa Pines (Pinus ponderosa) as a Bonsai – East Bay Bonsai Society }}</ref>

This species is grown as an ornamental plant in parks and large gardens.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scenichillfarmnursery.com/products/ponderosa-pine-12-20-inch-potted-tree-seedling-landscape-timber-tree-bonsai#:~:text=Grown%20an%20ornamental%20plant%20in,makes%20an%20excellent%20bonsai%20tree | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925004228/https://scenichillfarmnursery.com/products/ponderosa-pine-12-20-inch-potted-tree-seedling-landscape-timber-tree-bonsai#:~:text=Grown%20an%20ornamental%20plant%20in,makes%20an%20excellent%20bonsai%20tree | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 25, 2021 | title=Ponderosa Pine - Pacific and Columbia sub species - Potted tree seedling - Landscape, Timber Tree, Bonsai }}</ref>

=== In nuclear testing ===
During [[Operation Upshot–Knothole]] in 1953, a nuclear test was performed in which 145 ponderosa pines were cut down by the [[United States Forest Service]] and transported to [[Area 5 (NTS)|Area 5]] of the [[Nevada Test Site]], where they were planted into the ground and exposed to a nuclear blast to see what the blast wave would do to a forest. The trees were partially burned and blown over.<ref name="Finkbeiner">{{cite web|last=Finkbeiner|first=Ann|date=May 31, 2013|title=How Do We Know Nuclear Bombs Blow Down Forests?|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/nuclear_weapons_tests_on_trees_jasons_moved_a_forest_to_the_nevada_test.html|access-date=May 31, 2013|publisher=Slate.com}}</ref>

== Culture ==
Pinus ponderosa is the official state tree of Montana. In a 1908 poll to determine the state tree, Montana schoolchildren chose the tree over the Douglas fir, American larch, and cottonwood. However, the tree was not officially named the state tree until 1949.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ponderosa Pine: Montana State Tree |url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/montana/state-tree/ponderosa-pine |website=State Symbols USA |date=14 October 2014 |access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

The [[Ponderosa Ranch]] in the classic TV series ''[[Bonanza]]'' was named after the ponderosa pine, commonly found in the [[Lake Tahoe]] region where the fictional Cartwright family's ranch was set. ''Bonanza'' was one of the first Westerns to be filmed in color and made frequent visual use of scenic pine forests to emphasize the ranch’s size and frontier beauty.<ref>Northwest Conifer Connections. "Focus on Ponderosa Pine." *Northwest Conifer Connections* (blog), July 20, 2018. https://nwconifers.blogspot.com/2018/07/focus-on-ponderosa-pine.html</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Southern yellow pine]]

{{clear right}}
== References ==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==General references==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Chase| first1 = J. Smeaton| author-link1 = J. Smeaton Chase|others=[[Carl Eytel|Eytel, Carl]] (illustrations)|title = Cone-bearing Trees of the California Mountains | url = https://archive.org/details/conebearingtrees00chas/page/16/mode/2up| location = Chicago | publisher = [[A.C. McClurg & Co.]] | pages = 16–18 |year=1911 | oclc = 3477527|lccn=11004975}}
* {{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |date=2013 |title=''Pinus ponderosa'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T42401A2977432 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42401A2977432.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}
* {{cite book|last1=Conkle|first1=MT|last2=Critchfield|first2=WB|year=1988|chapter=Genetic variation and hybridization of ponderosa pine|pages=27–44|editor1-last=Baumgartner|editor1-first=DM|editor2-last=Lotan|editor2-first=JE|title=Ponderosa pine the species and its management|publisher=Cooperative Extension, Washington State University}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Critchfield|first1=WB|year=1984|title=Crossability and relationships of Washoe Pine|journal=Madroño|volume=31|pages=144–170}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Critchfield|first1=WB|last2=Allenbaugh|first2=GL|year=1965|title=Washoe pine on the Bald Mountain Range, California|journal=Madroño|volume=18|pages=63–64}}
* {{cite book|last1=Farjon|first1=A|edition=2nd|year=2005|title=Pines|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden & Boston|isbn=90-04-13916-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Haller|first1=JR|year=1962|title=Variation and hybridization in ponderosa and Jeffrey pines|series=University of California Publications in Botany|volume=34|issue=2|pages=123–166}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Haller|first1=JR|year=1965|title=The role of 2-needle fascicles in the adaptation and evolution of ponderosa pine|journal=Brittonia|volume=17|pages=354–382|doi=10.2307/2805029|issue=4|jstor=2805029|bibcode=1965Britt..17..354H |s2cid=32656015}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Haller|first1=JR|last2=Vivrette|first2=NJ|year=2011|title=Ponderosa pine revisited|journal=Aliso|volume=29|issue=1|pages=53–57|doi=10.5642/aliso.20112901.07|doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Lauria|first1=F|year=1991|title=Taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny of ''Pinus'' subsection ''Ponderosae'' Loudon (Pinaceae). Alternative concepts|journal=Linzer Biol. Beitr|volume=23|issue=1|pages=129–202}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Lauria|first1=F|year=1996|title=The identity of ''Pinus ponderosa'' Douglas ex C.Lawson (Pinaceae)|journal=Linzer Biol. Beitr|volume=28|issue=2|pages=999–1052}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Lauria|first1=F|year=1996|title=Typification of ''Pinus benthamiana'' Hartw. (Pinaceae), a taxon deserving renewed botanical examination|journal=Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien|volume=98|issue=B Suppl|pages=427–446}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Mirov|first1=NT|year=1929|title=Chemical analysis of the oleoresins as a means of distinguishing Jeffrey pine and western yellow pine|journal=Journal of Forestry|volume=27|pages=176–187}}
* {{cite book|last1=Van Haverbeke|first1=DF|year=1986|title=Genetic variation in ponderosa pine: A 15-Year Test of provenances in the Great Plains|publisher=USDA Forest Service|id=Research Paper RM-265}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Wagener|first1=WW|year=1960|title=A comment on cold susceptibility of ponderosa and Jeffrey pines|journal=Madroño|volume=15|pages=217–219}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Pinus ponderosa}}
* [http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=PIPO USDA Plants Profile for ''Pinus'' ponderosa (ponderosa pine)]
* [http://www.conifers.org/pi/pin/ponderosa.htm Gymnosperm Database: ''Pinus ponderosa'']
* [http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6521 Calflora Database: ''Pinus ponderosa'' (ponderosa pine, western yellow pine)]
* [https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=38293  Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Pinus ponderosa'']
* {{CalPhotos|Pinus|ponderosa}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q460523}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pinus|ponderosa]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Flora of Northeastern Mexico]]
[[Category:Flora of Northwestern Mexico]]
[[Category:Flora of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:Flora of the Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Flora of the South-Central United States]]
[[Category:Flora of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Flora of Nebraska]]
[[Category:Flora of North Dakota]]
[[Category:Flora of Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Flora of South Dakota]]
[[Category:Symbols of Montana]]
[[Category:Plants used in bonsai]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1836]]