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Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a widespread and very variable pine native to western North America. See the table below for the botanical characters of the different types.

In most texts separated into two varieties, forestry research has shown that there are four different taxa in Ponderosa Pine, with differing botanical characters and adapted to very different climatic conditions. These have been termed "geographic races" in forestry literature, while some botanists have historically treated them as distinct species. In modern botanical usage, they best match the rank of subspecies, but not all of the relevant botancial combinations have been formally published yet. These are as follows:

Pinus ponderosa was first discovered by David Douglas in 1826 in eastern Washington near where Spokane now lies. This is within the area of the "North Plateau race", and this therefore is the type subspecies.

• 1 Pinus ponderosa subsp. ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson - "North Plateau Ponderosa Pine".
  • Range & climate: southeast British Columbia, Washington and Oregon east of the Cascade RangeMount Adams in Washington state The Cascade Range is a mountainous region famous for its chain of tall volcanos called the High Cascades that run north-south along the west coast of North America from British Columbia to the Shasta Cascade area of norther, northeast CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located in the western United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. The most populous and third largest state in the U. California is both physically and demographically diverse. The state's official nickname is "The Golden State", wh, northwestern NevadaNevada is a state located in the western United States. The population, as of 2000, is 1,998,257. Nevada is the fastest growing state in the country. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's population increased 12. 2%, while the USA's population increased 3., IdahoIdaho ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Gem State Other U. States Capital Boise Largest City Boise Governor Dirk Kempthorne Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 14th 216,632 km²214,499 km² 2,133 km²1% Population Total ( 2000) Density Ranked 39th1,2 and western MontanaAlternate meanings: See Montana (disambiguation Montana ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Treasure State Other U. States Capital Helena Largest City Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 4th 381,156 km²377,295 km². Cool, relatively moist summers; very cold, snowy winters.
• 2 Pinus ponderosa subsp. scopulorum (Engelmann) E. Murray - "Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine".
  • Range & climate: eastern MontanaAlternate meanings: See Montana (disambiguation Montana ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Treasure State Other U. States Capital Helena Largest City Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 4th 381,156 km²377,295 km², North DakotaNorth Dakota ( In Detail) ( In Detail) State nicknames: Peace Garden State ''Roughrider State ''Flickertail State Other U. States Capital Bismarck Largest City Fargo Governor John Hoeven Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 19th 183,272 km² 178,839 km² 4,, South DakotaSouth Dakota ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Other U. States Capital Pierre Largest City Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 17th 199,905 km² 196,735 km² 3,173 km² 1. 6% Population Total, WyomingWyoming State nickname: Equality State Other U. States Capital Cheyenne Largest City Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 251,706 km² 1,851 km² 0. 7% Population Total ( 2000) Density Ranked 50th 493,782, Nebraska, northern and central Colorado and Utah, and eastern Nevada. Warm, relatively dry summers; very cold, fairly dry winters.
• 3 Pinus brachyptera Engelmann - "Southwestern Ponderosa Pine"
  • Range & climate: southern Colorado, southern Utah, northern and central New Mexico and Arizona, and westernmost Texas. Hot, relatively moist summers; mild winters.
• 4 Pinus benthamiana Hartweg - "Pacific Ponderosa Pine"
  • Range & climate: Washington and Oregon west of the Cascade Range, California except for the northeast, and just into westernmost Nevada. Hot, dry summers; mild wet winters.

The distributions of the subspecies, and that of the closely related Arizona Pine (Pinus arizonica) are shown on the map. The numbers on the map correspond to the taxon numbers above and in the table below. The base map of the species range is from Critchfield & Little, Geographic Distribution of the Pines of the World, USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 991 (1966).

Before the distinctions between the "North Plateau race" and the "Pacific race" were fully documented, most botanists assumed that Ponderosa Pines in both areas were the same. So when two botanists from California found a distinct tree in western Nevada in 1948 with some marked differences from the Ponderosa Pine they were familiar with in California, they described it as a new species, Washoe Pine, Pinus washoensis. However, subsequent research has shown that this is merely a southern outlier of the typical "North Plateau race" of Ponderosa Pine.