Gray Pine 

(Pinus sabiniana)

Pinus sabiniana (sometimes spelled P. sabineana), with the common names ghost pine, gray pine, California foothill pine, and the more historically and internationally used digger pine, is a pine endemic to California in the United States. It is also known as foothill pine, bull pine, and nut pine. The gray pine tree typically grows to 36–45 feet (11–14 m), but can reach 105 feet (32 m) feet in height. Gray pine grows at elevations between sea level and 4,000 feet (1,200 m), and is found in areas receiving 15 to 25" (750-1250 mm)of annual rainfall. It is adapted to long hot dry summers and is common in the northern and interior portions of the California Floristic Province. It prefers rocky, well drained soil, but also grows in serpentine soil and heavy poorly drained clay soils.Some Indian groups relied heavily on pine nuts for food and are thought to have contributed to the current distribution pattern. (Source: Gray Pine (Pinus Sabiniana)