Pine tree identification

The Nuttall pine tree is a slow-growing evergreen conifer first identified by William Shakespeare in the “Henry IV” play.

So you’ve found a slow-growing evergreen conifer and think it might be a Nuttall pine. Congratulations! The Nuttall pine is a very special tree with an unusual history. First identified in the “Henry IV” play by William Shakespeare (yes, THE William Shakespeare), it has been enjoyed by many people for its expansive beauty and airy shade. Let’s see if your tree is one of these majestic trees by comparing its traits to the ones we just discussed.

• Does your tree have needles?
• Yes – Great! Your tree may be a Nuttall Pine.
• No – Sorry, but this isn’t a Nuttall Pine Tree.

The Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) is the world’s largest single-species tree.

>The sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) is native to western North America, from Oregon’s Rogue River Valley to the Sierra Nevada and southern California. It is one of the tallest pine trees in the world, growing well over 100 feet tall, with a long straight trunk topped by a rounded crown of slender branches.

Its needles grow in bundles of five and are about 12 inches long. The cones are also very large—five to 10 inches in length—and fall apart soon after releasing their seeds. The bark on older trees is grayish brown and deeply furrowed into long scaly plates that hang loose from the trunk.

Sugar pines are named for their sweet sap, which was harvested by Native Americans as food or drink and later used by early European settlers to make molasses, syrup and other products.

Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca) is found in the southwestern United States, west to southeastern Idaho and south to northern Arizona and New Mexico.

To identify black hills spruce, look for its:

• Needles are a dark green, with white undersides. The needles grow in spirals and radiate out from the twigs. Needles are sharp-pointed; each needle is 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) long and grows on a tiny peg that projects from the twig. There may be slightly longer needles in fascicles at the ends of branches
• Cones are 3 to 5 inches (7 to 13 cm) long, with short prickles near the base of each scale. Cones hang down from branches and do not open when mature
• Twigs have blisters containing resin for protection against predators

The Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens exilis) is one of two species of blue spruce native to Colorado; the other is Rocky Mountain blue spruce (Picea pungens).

The Colorado blue spruce is a medium-sized tree that grows as tall as 115 feet (35 meters). Its pyramidal shape makes it popular for use in landscaping. The needles are sharp, stiff and bluish to silvery blue in color on all surfaces, although their intensity of color depends on the amount of exposure to sunlight. The needles are 1/2 inch long and grow on branches with whorled or spiral arrangements. Cones are 1 1/2 inches long and ripen from light purple to brown during the first season.

The Colorado blue spruce is a coniferous tree that grows in the western United States, primarily in mountainous regions at elevations up to 9,000 feet (3,000 meters). It has also been introduced into cultivation in many temperate areas around the world

White spruce (Picea glauca subsp. glauca) is a species of pine tree that grows exclusively in the western United States from southern Canada south to Montana and Wyoming.

Oops! Click Regenerate Content below to try generating this section again.

Pine trees are great for an outdoorsy person or a lover of nature

• You can’t go wrong with a pine. Not only are they great for the environment, they’re also great for your community and neighborhood. They contribute aesthetically to their surroundings, and when planted strategically, they provide shade year round.
• Pine trees add value to your home by raising its property value. A house surrounded by mature trees is considered more valuable than one without trees because potential buyers perceive it as a peaceful and low-maintenance environment.
• Money generated from selling pine tree products supports many local businesses and creates jobs that would otherwise be lost if people didn’t buy locally grown products.