Pinaceae (pine family) Pinus

Pinus patula Jelecote pine

Mexico

A rather strikingly different pine with light green needles, 6–10 inches long, that hang in fans almost straight down. The needles are in bunches of three, sometimes four. The cones are about 4 inches or so long, with shiny scales.

Campus’s sole remaining specimen is at 840 Lathrop Drive; another was at 883 Lathrop. In Palo Alto, three are in the parking lot divider on the north side of the Main Library on Newell Road. Two can be seen at 224 Greenmeadow Way, on the right side along the fence. The area’s champion specimen is a behemoth on the north corner of Echo Lane and Alpine Road in Portola Valley; the fallen lax needles caught in the nooks of the ruddy scaly bark give the impression of aerial roots drooping along the trunk.

· A simple key to campus pines

Name derivation: Pinus – Latin for pine; patula – spreading.

About this Entry: The main text of this entry is from the book Trees of Stanford and Environs, by Ronald Bracewell, published 2005. John Rawlings subsequently clarified needle size. Portola Valley location added; edits (Nov 2023, SP).