sugar pine

noun

plural sugar pines
: a very tall pine (Pinus lambertiana) found from Oregon to Baja California and having needles in clusters of five, cones up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) long, and soft reddish-brown wood
also : its wood

Examples of sugar pine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sandy was spotted later in the day perching on top of a sugar pine tree. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Similarly, pines native to California’s Sierra Mountains, such as Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), notable for cones that can reach 20 inches in length, and Jeffrey pine (Pinus Jeffreyi), will struggle to grow in Southern California. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026 Large sugar pines and ponderosa pines that died during droughts are also removed with chainsaws. Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026 The understory of the ponderosa and sugar pine forest was speckled with manzanita, oak trees and dogwoods with yellow leaves, marking the start of fall. Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024 Conifers reproduce intermittently — and this seems to be a banner year for Ponderosa pine, sugar pine and Jefferey pine. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sugar pine was in 1846

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Cite this Entry

“Sugar pine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sugar%20pine. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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