Pinus muricata
Bishop pine · also Prickle cone pine, Obispo pine, Santa Cruz pine
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Pinus muricata, also known as Bishop Pine, is a two-needle evergreen pine with stiff, often twisted needles and grayish-black furrowed bark. It is a closed-cone species, typically requiring fire for its cones to open, and commonly colonizes disturbed, unvegetated coastal areas in California and Baja California. The tree's form and height are highly variable, adapting from dwarfed specimens to tall forest trees depending on environmental conditions.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 510.01%36 yr7.5 in
- 190.01%—9.0 in
- 20.00%—25 in
- 10.00%—3.3 in
Traits
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 50–70 ft
- Canopy spread
- 20–40 ft
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Tolerates
- coastal
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 7.5 in, mean 9.4 in, 90th percentile 16 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Conifer Forests
- Northern California coastal forests
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub
- California coastal sage and chaparral
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
- Baja California desert
Other Pinus in the catalogue
51 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
