Its smooth, grey-green bark gradually sheds in round scales to reveal patches of pale yellow, which turn olive-brown, red and purple on exposure to light.

The lacebark pine produces cones that turn yellowish brown as they mature and are roughly egg-shaped and 5–7 centimetres (2.0–2.8 in) long.

[3] P. bungeana is synonymous with the name Pinus excorticata, attributed to Lindley and Gordon in William Dallimore's Handbook of Coniferae and Ginkgoaceae.

[5] Pinus bungeana is native to temperate forests in the mountains of China, but it is also widely cultivated as an ornamental tree, especially for its metallic bark.

[citation needed] The wood of the lacebark pine is not commercially used as timber, but it is used locally by populations in northeast China for construction, furniture, and transport structures like pallets.