Another December Illumination: Chief Joseph Pine

Pinus contorta var. latifolia “Chief Joseph” pine was discovered 34 years ago by plantsman Doug Wall in the Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon. He named it in honor of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe.

This past week the cold temperatures of Seattle have encouraged the brightest golds in the small tree. I have had this specimen for a few years, and it is definitely one of my favorite plants. It positively glows in the winter, something we are in sore need of in Seattle. The lodgepole pine is a very widespread tree in the west and can be found on the coasts as the shore pine, and inland in all of the mountains.