Hey, Ken.
I meant to get back with you about this, but, having limited knowledge of the subtle differences between immature cones of supposed hybrid five-needle pines, I cannot lend any expert opinion.

However, my suspicion is that it is a hybrid: Pinus strobus x ayacahuite. I would say it has some Pinus strobus heritage..

Again, no species expert...

-Sam

Yep, that's just a 8-month old immature conelet. Can you get a mature cone?

Here's what a true P. ayacahuite cone looks like:
{{gwi:642069}}

Resin

Yes it is a hybrid of Pinus strobus x ayacahuite. It was developed out of Yale university, One of the better looking pines in our area around ky.

can you explain SO THAT I CAN REMEMBER ... what an 8 month immature conelet is???

it surely looks too brown to continue growth in spring??? .. or is that my mistaken presumption ...

is this a cone that takes two seasons to fully mature????

if it stopped growth in an immature stage.. was last summers heat and drought the cause???

two weeks ago.. below zero [thats F and C] .. last week 50's F .. this week teens F ... i will go look for cones when it warms... and hope the cat is following me around for scale.. lol

ken

Ken,

It's matured but it's immature.
Welcome to your party.

Dax

"can you explain SO THAT I CAN REMEMBER ... what an 8 month immature conelet is???

it surely looks too brown to continue growth in spring??? .. or is that my mistaken presumption ...

is this a cone that takes two seasons to fully mature????

if it stopped growth in an immature stage.. was last summers heat and drought the cause???"

The cones of most pines take 16-24 months to mature. They appear in spring of year 1, when they are green, red, or blue (depending on species) and receptive to pollen. After pollination, these conelets turn brown and go into an extended period of dormancy for around 10 months through summer, autumn and winter of year 1 and into the start of year 2 - this is normal, and happens whatever the weather. Then in spring of year 2, they rapidly expand in size to the full mature size, with the new growth again green, red, or blue depending on the species; the year 1 growth remains brown as a small knob (called the 'umbo') on each scale. They stay like this until the seed is fully matured by autumn to winter of year 2 (i.e., 16-20 months after pollination, or in a few species, early spring of year 3 (24 months after pollination).

There are a very few exceptions to this general rule:

1. In Pinus torreyana and Pinus maximartinezii, the second growth and maturation period takes more than 12 months, so overall the cones take about 30 months to mature.

2. In Pinus leiophylla and Pinus pinea, there are two years of conelet stage before expansion to full size. The conelets do grow just slightly in the second spring, so the umbo has a concentric ring. The cones are fully mature at 34-36 months old.

3. In a few tropical pines, notably Pinus oocarpa and Pinus merkusii, the dormant period is much shorter, so the cones can be mature in 12-14 months or so.

4. In just one pine, Pinus nelsonii, the conelets only enter into partial dormancy, with the umbo growing slowly throughout the normal dormant period, leaving it large but indistinctly defined.

Resin

so if i understand correctly [??] ..... this brown looking cone.. would have extended further this summer??? .. it seems so counter-intuitive ..

i know i have seen them remain green and stubby for one year.. its the color that is confusing me.. which is easy this time of year ..

its 8 F this early Feb morning in MI ... at this time of year.. its hard to accept.. that by mid march.. spring will be on the way.. its the longest 6 weeks of the year .. for a hardcore gardener ...

thx for trying to learn me up ...

ken

"so if i understand correctly [??] ..... this brown looking cone.. would have extended further this summer??? .. it seems so counter-intuitive"

Yep, it would.

Resin

well.. i learned my ONE thing for the day.. may as well sign off GW ...

i thought by the time they browned .. they were dead/spent material..

who knew they continued to grow???

so what would it do on a scion ...

i bet no one knows.. since they would be removed as a stress to the graft ....

any chance it would be wood that coned earlier in its future life????

ken

ps: i gotta be careful.. i might learn a second thing .. lol ... of course.. learning is never a problem.. its the remembering.. lol ...