I have a potted tree that is a chimera cross between a spruce and a lodgepole pine. The pine needles grow on the same stems as the spruce needles. It is not grafted, the needles are intermixed. What is this?
It looks like pinus pinea. And this differentiation between juvenile and adult foliage is specific to it
Most pines stop having juvenile foliage at one year old. But these pines all show long (2-3 years or more) production of juvenile foliage: Pinus sect. Pinea: Pinus pinea Pinus roxburghii Pinus canariensis Pinus brutia (syn. P. eldarica) Pinus pinaster Pinus halepensis Pinus merkusii Pinus sect. Cembroides: Pinus cembroides Pinus remota Pinus edulis Pinus monophylla Pinus quadrifolia Pinus orizabensis Pinus johannis Pinus culminicola Pinus sect. Rzedowskianae: Pinus pinceana Pinus maximartinezii Pinus rzedowskii Pinus sect. Nelsoniae: Pinus nelsonii The one in the photo is probably Pinus pinea, but the pic isn't clear enough to be 100% certain. Note that it won't be hardy outdoors in Salmon Arm - you'd have to go down to Vancouver to grow it outside.
This is a spruce tree with pine needles growing on the same branches. I will try another couple of photos.
Thank you for the link to Pinus pinea. I am still not sure that is what I have here because of the interspaced pine needles among the short, pointed spruce like needles. Here are a pair of pictures of a branch and a short branch with no pine needles.
It is common for the adult and juvenile ("spruce-like") foliage to be mixed like this in Pinus pinea (and the other pines listed above).
Thank you so much to all who helped on this and thank you for the picture of a similar species. Your information is much appreciated. John
