Coulter Pine or Widowmaker

Description:

This is the largest and heaviest pine cone in the world. They can weigh up to 5 kilos (10 lbs) and are the cones of the Coulter Pine, a tree native to the coastal mountains of Southern California. The trees can be 80 feet tall and men working in and around these trees are required to wear hard hats. The cones are extremely spiny and exude sticky pitch. (Sugar Pine Cones can be longer but are not as robust or as heavy).

Habitat:

Edge of the Los Padres National Park above Santa Barbara, California. The view this particular tree had was breathtaking, overlooking the drop into Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean.