Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

Home > Landscaping > Native Plants for Western Washington Gardens and Restoration Projects

Pinus contorta

Shore Pine

At a Glance: Short pine tree, often with crooked trunk and bushy habit.

Height: Up to 100 feet (30 meters).
Growth Form: Tree.
Stems: Bark orange-brown to gray, scaly. The trunk can be straight and tall in good conditions, but it can be stunted and crooked in poor growing conditions such as peat bogs or muskeg and subalpine areas.
Leaves: Needles in pairs, often curved and twisted, 2-7 cm (0.8-2.75 in) long, deep green.
Flowers: Pollen cones small, reddish-green in clusters on tips of branches in spring.
Flowering Period: none.
Fruits: Pinecone 3-5 cm long, egg-shaped, usually slightly curved, scales stiff and brown with sharp prickle at tip; primary color: reddish-green.


Photo © 2005, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	Tolerant of salt spray. wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

Berries

Seeds

Nectar for hummingbirds

Nectar for butterflies

Host for insect larvae

Thickets and shelter

Thorny or protective cover

Birds: The seeds are eaten by grouse, crossbills, grosbeaks, chickadees, band-tailed pigeons, quail, mourning doves, jays, nuthatches, finches, and siskins. Bushtits, kinglets, chickadees, and woodpeckers glean pine beetles and other insects from the branches and cones. Songbirds nest in most pines.
Insects: Pine white butterfly larvae eat the foliage.
Mammals: Porcupines depend on shore pine for winter forage. Squirrels and chipmunks eat the seeds.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Nisgaa used the roots for rope. The Haida used peeled sheets of bark as splints for broken limbs. The pitch was used by the Sechelt to waterproof canoes and baskets, by the Saanich to fasten arrowheads onto shafts, and by the Lower Stlatlimx as a glue and to provide a protective coating for Indian-hemp fishing nets. Occasionally used as a Christmas tree by people living on the coast.
Medicinal Uses: The pitch and bark were used medicinally by the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwakawakw, Nuxalk, Haida, Tsimshian, and Tlingit. The gum was applied to cuts or as a poultice for heart pain and rheumatism, or it was made into a tea for tuberculosis.
Landscape Uses: An undemanding evergreen screen, bright green and attractive.
Name Info: Contorta obviously refers to the trees tendency to grow in a contorted manner. It is often found on rocky shores, hence the common name.

Suggested References

Brockman, F.C. 1968. A Guide to Field Identification: Trees of North America. Western Publishing Company. Page .
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 5.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 17.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 62.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 58.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 242.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 63.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 38.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 90.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.