Pinus attenuata at 2150 Feet

Description:

This Knobcone Pine (Pinus attenuata) is a slow-growing tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils from Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration being in northern California. The cones are clustered on the branches and remain closed for many years until a fire opens them and exposes their seeds. "Since the cones may become imbedded within the wood of the expanding trunk, this species has been called 'the tree that swallows its cones.' When fires kill the trees, cones as much as 30 years old are opened by the heat and shed their seeds. The abundant seedlings then begin a new forest."This tree was found at the top of Pine Mountain, aka Buzzard's Roost, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California.