Pinus muricata

The Bishop Pine (Pinus muricata) is a pine with a very restricted range: mostly California, USA, including some offshore islands, and a few locations in Baja California, Mexico, and always on or near the coast, from Trinidad Head in Humboldt County, California south to San Vicente in Baja California. The mature trees grow to a height of 15-25 meter, rarely up to 34 meter, with a trunk diameter of up to 1.2 meter. The species is often smaller, stunted and twisted in coastal exposures. It is drought-tolerant and grows on dry, rocky soil. P. muricata has been used in plantations with resultant growth rates higher than in the wild, but with adverse impacts to biodiversity. The common name Bishop Pine resulted from the tree having been first identified near the Mission of San Luis Obispo. This tree has a large number of common names and other prior scientific names, due primarily to numerous variant forms. Other English names that have occasionally been used are: Obispo Pine, Santa Cruz Pine, Dwarf Marine Pine, and Pricklecone Pine.