Mostly a small tree to 18 m tall. Bark dark brown, shallowly fissured, scaly. Bud cylindric, pointed, resinous. Young shoots greyish brown. Leaves in 3's, 7-15 cm long, greyish; sheaths persistent, about 1 cm long. Cones 7-13 cm long, narrow-ovoid to conical, base unequal, short stalked, persistent and mostly in small groups, often remaining unopened on the tree trunk and branches for many years, yellow-brown at first; scales of the long side enlarged into conical knobs with a thick incurved spine. Seeds 7-8 mm long with a wing c. 1-2 cm long.
Grows naturally on dry mountain slopes and coastal ranges with winter rain and snow. Very rare in cultivation in Australia.
Oregon to California, USA.
May be confused with P. radiata but the leaves are more grey and the cone projections on one side of the cone are conical and strongly pointed with a small prickle: those of P. radiata are rounded and without a prickle. The young cones are yellowish brown and are often borne directly on the trunk.
ACT: Westbourne Woods (east of green 3). VIC: Creswick (Forestry School, mature trees in plantation just before demonstration softwood area). TAS: Hobart (Tasmanian Royal Bot. Gds & Queens Domain near swimming pool).
Source: (1995). Pinaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 1, Ferns, conifers & their allies. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.