What Is Difference Between Tamarack Pine & Ponderosa Pine?

Botanical Information

• Ponderosa pines are part of the genus, Pinus, which consists of about 120 evergreen trees and shrubs, including red pine (Pinus resinosa), which is hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 7, and Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus 'Fastigiata'), hardy to USDA zones 4 through 9. Tamaracks, also called eastern larch, are part of the genus Larix, which consists of about a dozen deciduous conifers. Larix also includes the Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi), which is hardy to USDA zones 5 through 7, and the Western larch (Larix occidentalis), which is hardy to USDA zones 4 through 6.

Culture

• Tamarack pines are hardy to USDA zones 2 through 5. They thrive in moist, well drained soils and full sun. Ponderosa pines are hardy to USDA zones 3 through 7. They also do best in full sun, but prefer drier soils than tamarack pines. While tamaracks will grow alongside other trees, ponderosa pines typically grow in single-species stands. Because its taproot develops early, the ponderosa pine can survive long periods of drought. Tamaracks can tolerate dry soils, but not for long periods like the ponderosa.

Growth

• Tamaracks grow to heights between 50 and 75 feet, forming a narrow pyramidal shape. Young ponderosa pines are also pyramidal in shape, but as they age, ponderosas drop their lower limbs and take on an irregularly-oblong appearance. Ponderosas typically grow to between 60 and 100 feet tall, but can reach heights up to 165 feet. The straight trunk of the tamarack pine is about 1 1/2 feet in diameter. Ponderosa pine trunks are much larger, growing to about 42 inches in diameter.

Foliage and Cones

• The flat, light green needles of the tamarack pine are deciduous and about 3/4 to 1 inch long. These grow in spirals and turn yellow in the fall before dropping from the tree. The dark green to yellow-green needle-like foliage of the ponderosa pine is evergreen, which means needles don’t drop in the fall, and appears in bundles of two or three. Ponderosa pine needles are typically about 7 inches long.

  The flowers of both trees are referred to as cones. The male cones of both pine species are small and yellowish. The tamarack pine’s male cones are round, growing in clusters near the tips of the branches, while the female cones are reddish-brown and egg-shaped with many scales. Both male and female tamarack pine cones are 3/4 to 1 inch long, but the reddish female cones of the ponderosa pine average about 4 inches long. The tips of ponderosa pine cones are covered with distinctive short prickles that curve outward.

Bark

• Tamarack bark is gray-brown to reddish brown and rough in texture, with small scaly patches. On young ponderosa pine trees, the bark is gray to black in color, but as the trees mature, the bark thickens and breaks into large scaly plates that take on a yellow-brown color. These plates are divided by deep grooves and resemble puzzle pieces. Ponderosa pine’s twigs are typically firm, coarse and orange-yellow in color, while tamaracks have slim, light-brown twigs. The wood of the ponderosa pine has a sweet scent resembling vanilla or butterscotch.