Medium, open-crowned tree to 20 m, rarely 40 m tall; trunk often dividing low down or leaning. Buds 2-3 cm long, more or less cylindrical, resinous. Young shoots slender, waxy grey. Leaves sparse, c. 20-35 cm long, grey-green, often drooping. Cones oblong-ovoid, often maturing in Victoria when just over 10 cm long though also achieving a length of 20 cm or so; scales stoutly spiked, often resin-crusted. Seeds c. 1.5 cm long, wings c. 7 mm.

California where it grows naturally on the dry foothills of western California at altitudes of c. 150-1500 m.

Similar to P. coulteri but trunk often divided low down; young shoots slender; leaves grey-green; cones smaller and darker brown; seeds longer than their wings; cf. P. jeffreyi.

SA: Urrbrae (Waite Arboretum, 2 trees). NSW: Ournie (Jephcott Arboretum, side of road). ACT:Duntroon (S of gun gates on Fairbairn Ave); Westbourne Woods (4 trees ptd c. 1925). VIC: Castlemaine (Bot. Gds 40 m tall in 1991); Geelong (Eastern Park, several); Hamilton (Bot. Gds); Melbourne (Royal Bot. Gds below Rose Pavilion); Rutherglen (Public Park). TAS: Hobart (Queens Domain near swimming pool; Tasmanian Royal Bot. Gds).

Source: Spencer, R. (1995). Pinaceae. In: Spencer, R.. 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.