Sentinel pine

Sentinel pine is a type of pine tree that grows chiefly in the mountains of north Idiri. It is characterized by red-tinged brown bark and medium-length deep green needles that grow in clusters of four along its branches. Sentinel pines tend to cluster in dense stands when young, which gradually thin out as the most vigorous trees attain their full height. Even at maturity the trees tend to stand close together, a habit aided by their relatively short branches. A mature sentinel pine can reach well over 100 feet and typically has a very straight trunk with the first limbs high above the ground. Found extensively in the Sentinel Mountains of Tessere, it is uncertain whether the tree received its name from that locale, or if it was given the name on account of its appearance of great uprightness and vigilance, and the mountains were then named for the tree.

Uses

Although the sentinel pine is not a prodigious producer of cones, the tree is prolific enough within its range that its groves still provide a substantial bounty of pine nuts for the consumption of both humans and animals. Its extremely straight and tall trunk also makes it useful as a mast for ships, but the trees grow in such remote and difficult locales that they have never gained more than a token amount of use in the shipping industry.