[6] The cones are 12 to 30 cm (4+3⁄4 to 11+3⁄4 in) long,[7][6] dark purple when immature, ripening pale brown, with thinly woody scales bearing a short, sharp inward-pointing barb.

Pinus ponderosa cone scale barbs point outward, so feel sharp and prickly to the palm of one's hands.

Another distinguishing characteristic is that the needles of P. jeffreyi are glaucous, less bright green than those of P. ponderosa, and by the stouter, heavier cones with larger seeds and inward-pointing barbs.

[7] The scent of P. jeffreyi is variously described as reminiscent of vanilla, lemon, pineapple, violets, apple,[9] and, quite commonly, butterscotch.

Easy availability of this hydrocarbon in pure form made it the basis of the modern octane rating in the late 1920s.

[13] Pinus jeffreyi is named for its discoverer, Scottish botanist John Jeffrey, who encountered it in 1852 near Mount Shasta.

[4] Pinus jeffreyi is also tolerant of serpentine soils and is often dominant in these conditions, even on dry sites at fairly low altitudes.