Torrey Pines State Park in La Jolla

Clinging tenaciously to the rocky soil on the cliffs and canyons overlooking the Pacific is La Jolla's oldest resident, the torrey pine. This rarest of conifers grows naturally in only one other place in the world, on Santa Rosa Island 30 miles southwest of Santa Barbara, in two small relic forests.

After careful study of the unique trees, physician and botanist Charles Parry successfully identified them in 1850 and named them "pinus torrey-ana," in honor of John Torrey of New York's Columbia University, one of the country's leading botanists. As early as 1899 the city of San Diego declared its interest in protecting the rare pine and set aside the 369 acres upon which they were growing as a public park. In the 1920s Ellen Browning Scripps embraced a movement to further preserve this valuable natural heritage extending along the cliffs north of the city between La Jolla and Del Mar. Today nearly 1,000 acres of canyons, mesas and scenic trails and over three miles of sandy beach provide refuge for local wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts.

Recognizable for its long, stout grayish-green needles that grow five in a cluster, the majestic torrey pine is a rare remnant of past ages that mysteriously chose La Jolla to plant its rugged roots. Their singular beauty, might and grace may be but another simple gift from He who smiled so benevolently on La Jolla.