Flakes off in jigsaw puzzle-like pieces. Older bark is distinctly reddish-brown. Occurs in mountainous regions of the West, from southern Oregon through the Sierra Nevada, and into Baja, California. Cones may remain closed on the tree for many years. Usually grow at 2600-4500 ft.
Cone scales are thin and often curve up on the end.
Occurs in southern British Columbia, the northwestern states, and the Sierra Nevada of California. In the northern portion of their range, the trees grow from sea level to 2500 ft. Cone scales are thick and straight . No small blocky patches, and no rings where whorls of branches once grew. Ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to southern California, the Sierra Nevada, and into northern Baja, California.