 The leaves ('needles') are in fascicles of five, slender, long, and deep green to blue-green, with stomata confined to a bright white band on the inner surfaces.The cones are ovoid, massive, long and broad and up to weight when closed, green at first, ripening yellow-brown when 26–28 months old, with very thick, woody scales, typically 30–60 fertile scales.The scales are unusual for a pine in the soft pine group ("Pinus" subgenus "Strobus"); most pines in that group have flexible scales.