Pinus sabiniana or...?

I've noticed in the past couple of years a rather gray green pine with a filmy look and low branched structure showing up all around the campus of California State University Monterey Bay. These actually seem to be replacing the numerous dying Monterey pines (P. radiata), and are showing up in places like disturbed chaparral, in cracks within pavement (one tree is growing right out of asphalt and you can see where the roots have pushed the asphalt up). I suspect the local jays are spreading the trees. I know that P. sabiniana shows up in dryer, hotter parts of Monterey County, but I've never seen native groves coming close to the coast.

Anyway, on close inspection, what makes me wonder that it might *not* be P. sabiniana is that the needle fascicles I've pulled from a few trees seem to all be five needled, where descriptions of P. sabiniana I've read says they're usually 3 needled, rarely 4 needled. I haven't read that 5 needles is common. I haven't got a photo of a tree in habit or closeups of the branches, but here's a not so great scan to give you an idea of the scale of the needles and the seed: pine needles, seed

As I scanned it directly, the scale isn't exact, but the needles are almost 9 inches/23 cm long, and the seed is a little larger than 3/4 of an inch/2cm. Young cones seem to exude resin all over themselves. Without additional photos, what do those of you who may know think? P. sabiniana, or a similar but non native gray green pine? I'll attempt to get other photos tomorrow. 


- Barry

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