Scientific Name
Pinus bungeana
The lacebark pine is undoubtedly one of the most ornamental species of its genus but has only slowly found a small niche in urban horticulture. This may partly be due to it being somewhat slow-growing and to the fact that we've long had a preference in the region for the larger-growing native Ponderosa pine and the introduced European species Austrian pine, both of which have been much more available in commerce. Still, the spectacular bark of the lacebark pine positions it as an up-and-comer in landscape horticulture. As a lacebark pine's branches grow and some develop into trunks, the bark remains smooth but begins to flake away in scales to reveal multi-colored patches of green, beige and brown resembling a traditional military camouflage pattern. In some trees, the patches can even develop yellow, red or purple hues.
The lacebark pine is a native to relatively upper elevations in northeast and central China and thus has no problem tolerating the winter climates along the Front Range of the Rockies. Denver Botanic Gardens pioneered the planting of this species here years ago and today has some noteworthy specimens. These trees can likely reach a height of 50 feet in our region but are typically shorter. They may develop with a single trunk but are more apt to have multiple trunks that branch from the base, making them wider than they are tall as they mature. While the majority of pine trees we're likely to encounter in our area have either two or five needles per bundle, these pines have three stiff and sharp-to-the-touch needles in each bundle. As of this writing, the champion Colorado lacebark pines are in Denver and Colorado Springs, where they have trunk diameters around 10 inches and heights around 33 feet. The Regis lacebark pine selected for this tour — one of three on the campus — has been nominated for Colorado champion status and awaits measuring in 2026.