Torrey Pine

The rarest pine in the North America — the endangered Torrey Pine is a living symbol of coastal resilience. From scoured windswept soils, it miraculously produces large, buttery, resin-sweet pine nuts. An ideal permaculture tree for mild, maritime gardens all along the Pacific coast, where it grows into a sculptural sentinel of shade, habitat, and hope [1][2][3][11].

NOTE: COMING FALL 2026! It is critically endangered globally and seedlings are in limited supply. Please only order if you are in the appropriate zone and can offer the appropriate care. 

Edible Uses

The Torrey Pine produces some of the largest and most flavorful pine nuts in the world — dense, mildly sweet, and fragrant with sea air and warm resin. Cones take roughly two years to mature and, once brown and open, yield heavy clusters of high-oil seeds that store well through winter [7][9][11]. The tree’s resin has also been valued for its natural adhesive and mild antiseptic properties [10][11].

Ornamental Qualities

In the wild, winds sculpt the Torrey Pine’s broad limbs into expressive forms, while its long blue-green needles catch the fog light. It makes a striking specimen tree or coastal windbreak, thriving where few others will. Beautiful in edible, coastal guilds alongside Madrones with Salal and Evergreen Huckleberry understories [4][5][11].

Environment and Culture

The Torrey Pine inhabits marine terraces, dunes, and sandstone slopes, thriving on winter rain, summer fog, and salty wind [1][2][6]. Its deep roots stabilize fragile bluffs and offer nesting and shade for coastal wildlife.

Because only a few thousand mature trees remain, every cultivated planting helps secure the species’ future. By growing one, you help extend a living lineage of the California coast. To support Indigenous stewardship, see our Charitable Giving page for ways to contribute [3][11].

Harvest, Care, and Preparation

Torrey Pines thrive in full sun and coastal air, preferring fast-drained, sandy or rocky soils and require only minimal irrigation once established. During the first two years, water deeply but infrequently to encourage a strong taproot; after that, the tree depends primarily on natural rainfall and fog. Because it evolved under constant wind, staking is rarely needed—let the elements form its sturdy frame. Pruning should be limited to safety or structure during dormancy, and fertilizers are unnecessary in coastal soils. 

Cones take about two years to mature, opening when brown and dry. The nuts are rich, buttery, and mildly resinous, offering a unique local alternative to imported pine nuts [7][11].

Attributes

• Status: Critically Endangered; two wild populations (San Diego bluffs & Santa Rosa Island) [3][2]
• Form: Evergreen pine; broad, sculptural crown; five-needle bundles; large cones [1]
• Size: 30–60 ft tall; wide, wind-shaped canopy [11]
• Sun: Full sun with marine influence [11]
• Water: Low once established; fog-tolerant [4]
• Soils: Fast-drained sandy/rocky loams [4]
• Zone: USDA 9–10; brief 20 °F tolerance [5]
• Salt/Wind: Extremely tolerant; ideal coastal windbreak [5]
• Native Range: Endemic to southern CA coast & Channel Islands [2]
• Permaculture Role: Windbreak, slope stabilizer, wildlife cover, fog-water capture [11]
• Availability: Coming Fall 2026

References

[1] Jepson eFlora — Pinus torreyana
[2] California State Parks — Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
[3] RBGE Threatened Conifers of the World (IUCN summary)
[4] Nature Collective Plant Guide — Torrey Pine
[5] Gymnosperm Database / Conifers.org — Pinus torreyana
[6] NatureServe Explorer — Distribution & status
[7] Moerman, Native American Ethnobotany (pine seed use)
[9] Regional botanical records of pine-nut use (Southern California)
[10] General pine resin references (adhesive/antiseptic)
[11] USFS FEIS — Pinus torreyana (ecology & management)

Pot Sizing Guide