Not exactly what you're looking for, Flor. But we built a large deck up north at our land using native Wisconsin-grown red pine lumber. It's beautiful stuff. Big full-dimensioned boards- a 2x12 is fully 2x12, etc. But leak resin! OMG it's some sappy stuff! And it is after all, Pinus resinosa.

+oM

About every terminal bud on my Table mountain pine has a bulge or hanging drop of resin solidified on it. The aroma yards downwind is turpentine but with an additional hint of something dangerous.

Am I leaking??

;-)

Resin

Cones of most Abies bleed lots of resin.

Foliage of Cupressus macnabiana is slightly sticky (and strongly scented).

Resin

It's so funny you mentioned Cupressus macnabiana Resin, I happen to live in the center of its natural range! Like the yellow-billed magpie which is found nowhere else on Earth, the Sacramento Valley has several unusual endemic plant and animal species. A macnab is much too common to grow here, I need something more exotic! ;-) It's a beautiful tree with its sprays of foliage, my nearby park has a large specimen that is several decades old.

Beng, would you recommend a table mountain pine or is the smell too overpowering?

I also vote for Abies. I've climbed a lot of trees with climbing gear here in the Pacific Northwest. Abies procera and amabilis were the worst.
Mike

hey resin.. i think they have an ointment.. should you find yourself leaking ...

ken

Dr. Farwells Heal and Seal.

You can order it. A Dr office visit is not necessary.

Works every time.

Dave

floramakros, I would always recommend a TM pine, but I'm a pine aficionado. There's no such thing as an undesirable pine, unless it's disease-prone or unsuitable for the climate.:) I'd guess it would do fine in CA -- seen pics of nice planted specimens in the Idaho panhandle. The only source for seedlings I know is Forestfarm, or seeds from the big seed-supply houses.

But in CA you have choices for some native, beautiful pines...

Hi beng, of course there are no undesirable pines, good point. But you have to always use good judgement, I love Araucarias for example but I'm not about to plant a bunya-bunya in my front yard, I don't want to dodge grenades larger than my head for the rest of my life! lol

I've had good success with Table Mountain pine (Pinus pungens). Nice, dark-green needles; slow growing, though. Got it from forestfarm last fall - Weathered the drought fine with no supplemental watering!

jimbob, TM pine has to have a minimum 6 hrs full sun for reasonably vigorous growth. More is better. That's its only real requirement.

floramakros, that thing is beyond description (picture saved). I assume it's a bunya-bunya cone?

Just as examples for my previous comment, some posters recently showed some beautiful, huge Gray pine specimens in suburban settings in northern CA. Ponderosa, Jeffrey, Coulter or Sugar pines also come to mind. Torrey and Bristlecone pines are always picturesque.

Yes beng, it's from wikimedia commons, the caption is "This is a Bunya cone that was found in the Cumberland State Forest, Sydney, NSW, Australia on 28th January 2012". I mentioned the problems with B-Bs under their species description last Spring but in case someone here has fallen in love with them I should repeat the downsides. When planting a bunya-bunya it's important to remember that stepping on a branch feels like stepping on razorblades whether the branch is dead or alive. Leaves don't decompose quickly, you can hurt yourself with them years after they die. After high winds it's not uncommon to have a lawn covered with these broken razorblade branches. As you can imagine pruning and cleanup can be a real pain. Now the really fun part, the cones. They don't come every year, but when they do watch out! They are bunched up at the top out of view, unless you can see the treetop from above (like from a multi-story building window) you'll never know what hit you. With no warning they come crashing down, each weighing 10-15 lbs. They usually take a few branches down with them. Getting hit by one can be fatal to dogs and humans I don't need to point out! They have also done major damage to car bodies, windshields etc. Best yet those planted close to houses have crashed through skylights and done various other structural damage to homes. The best place to enjoy them is in a public park or arboretum, there they can be planted far from human and dog paths, cars and dwellings. Several parks rope them off during cone season as an extra precaution to prevent people from standing or sitting under them. I love trees, but having dozens of bowling balls perched above my head that can crash down at any time is not my way to enjoy my garden! ;-) ps What about all those Hawaiian resorts with all the coconut palms you ask, don't they have the same problems? Yes, that's why they remove the coconuts before they mature. I lived in Puerto Rico for a couple of years with a pool surrounded by coconut palms. There's nothing more exciting than having one come crashing down, miss your head by 6 inches, then bounce back up and land with a loud crash through the top of a glass table. If that doesn't remind you to respect the power of trees nothing will...

Thanks, floramakros. Your posts are informative.

Thank you beng, this has been a great discussion. I think I'll hold out for uncle fogy, it has the right combination of twisted weird growth plus dripping goo that'll be great for next Halloween! It's in the "alien life form" category of plants, like a young Monkey Puzzle tree. I love it when people ask me "what in the world is that? lol Since I also love carnivorous plants, epiphytes, and ant plants, most of the things I've grown in my life easily fit into that category. I could decorate a "Star Trek" set with live plants and the average non plant enthusiast would swear they all came from outer space (I could probably do it with epiphytic ferns alone) no need for plastic plants at all...if I don't get to live long enough to see flora on another planet at least I can bring the alien forest to my home.

You got any tribbles? Or whatever those lovable furry things were!

BTW, "ant plants?

+oM

Ant plants are plants that have developed a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with one or more ant species. Ferns, epiphytes, vines, trees etc. have all developed such relationships. The most highly developed one is found in the Bullshorn acacia, the plant gets protection from pests who are driven away by the stinging ants. The ants also kill all competing plants within a radius around the acacia, like a lawn. The ants get shelter in the hollow gigantic thorns, the queen and brood live in them as well. Ant wastes collect and are absorbed as fertilizer by the plant. The plant produces special protein nodules on its leaves, they are packets of ant food that it feeds them. It also has nectar glands that the ant drinks from. A home that also produces an endless supply of food and drink! Tests in the field show that a bullshorn that is not occupied by an ant colony has almost no chance at survival, it is quickly overwhelmed by pests or choked off from the sun by more aggressive plants. The ants are crucial to its survival. The ant species is never found anywhere but in a bullshorn, it can't survive without it either. Truth is always stranger than fiction. I was fascinated with this story so much I had to have one which I happily do, the species name is Acacia sphaerocephala. The contrast between the delicate fern-like leaves and the monstrous prehistoric thorns is really an eye catcher. Don't worry, it was grown from seed, it has never been occupied by stinging formic acid spraying ants. I provide its protection and fertilizer. The local ants are clueless about how it's done (how to chew through the tip of a thorn) and that's probably a good thing, who wants to dodge angry ants every time you touch a favorite tree?

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floramakros says:

It also has nectar glands that the ant drinks from.
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Catalpas (which are tropical in origin) also have nectar glands underneath the leaves at the base vein junctions. Ants & wasps feed there, especially late in the summer.

Fascinating stuff, Flor. Thanks.

+oM

Here is a closeup of the ants harvesting their food produced especially for them on the plant's leaves. Before you ask, this is a web photo, my acacia is not occupied by ants. Since my local ants quickly find every piece of watermelon or sugar that falls, my guess is the food nodules called "Beltian bodies" do not give off much of a scent or other indication that they are food (probably very smart in a world full of hungry insects) or maybe it takes generations of experience, in either event I've never seen the locals feeding on them. Their relationship is so close that this species of acacia has completely stopped producing toxins in its leaves, it no longer needs them with the ants for protection. I doubt that this ant species could produce a nest on its own either at this point, they truly depend on each other.

To bring this back on topic here's your conifer gardening tip for the day: Do you have problems with cats disturbing your flower beds to take naps or use as litter boxes? Spread a few fallen cones under all your bushes and flowers. Cats cannot stand walking on pine cones, their sensitive pads make them leap out quickly. They'll even refuse to play in catnip with the cones there. Talk about a great barrier. If your cat problem still persists and you're lucky enough to live where citrus grows, plant a few oranges, lemons, limes (any citrus will work, cats don't distinguish between lemons "yucky" and oranges "yummy", they hate them all equally). I throw a few extra oranges/lemons/citrons/limes/tangerines in all the cat's favorite hiding/pooping spots, not only does it smell nice but cats react like it's skunk spray...If you don't have citrus trees buy the cheapest store bought citrus or concentrated lemon or lime juice, it'll also do the trick nicely. Next week, how to rid your garden of packs of wolves...Happy Halloween!

Don't tell me you've found a species of ant that attacks wolves!

This all reminds me of other symbiotic relationships that have been discovered, though I can't think of one right now! Usually something on PBS that is discovered to be going on in the rainforest somewhere. Cool stuff.

+oM

One last word on this that is so bizarre I have to add it. There is only one known species of herbivorous (plant eating) spider in the world. It's called Bagheera kiplingi. The beltian bodies on ant symbiotic acacia leaves are so rich in sugars, lipids and proteins that this spider feeds on them almost exclusively! It has to dodge and sneak past the ants to get to its prize which is not an easy task. All these incredible discoveries on just one tree! What an amazing world we're lucky enough to live in...

Here is a Bagheera kiplingi, the world's only known vegetarian spider (for the most part, like many spiders it can be cannibalistic) grabbing an acacia beltian body. Notice the two ant guards very close by!