Arboreal Goth Cones

Collections are common across all cultures, especially in the West in the waning age of capitalism. Collections of cultural objects (things made by Homo sapiens) can represent conspicuous consumption, wealth, and excess, and have so since the rise of the Middle Ages’ merchant class. On the other hand, botanical collections can represent a rich knowledge and pedagogical opportunity for environmental understanding; specifically, the knowledge of endemic plant narratives and natural histories that are embodied in both individual specimens and the collection as a whole.

The Arboreal Goth Cone Collection took years of plant expedition planning, miserable field research management, grueling grant writing, and tedious lab work. Still, the toil has been rewarded—this cone collection captures some of the most extraordinary Pinus sabiniana (foothill pine) cultivars ever created. The significance of the collection is more than a curated group of freakish gymnosperms and arboreal oddities, but a rich volume of ecological lore articulating the complicated relationship between Homo sapiens and the flora of North America. Moreover, this collection is outstanding in that many of the cultivars were created with the intention of profit and material gain at the expense of native cone-bearing species—a monstrous motivation that is truly ghoulish in the context of our degraded global ecosystem.

Every specimen in the Arboreal Goth Cone Collection is no mere cone, but a story of evolution, adaptation, and resiliency. A resiliency that is ever more remarkable, and frankly worthy of scholarly documentation, in the contemporary context of our shrinking biota. The cones featured in this publication have been curated to share the incredible stories of the cones’ evolution, the trees that bore them, and the cultural forces that brought them into being.

This work was funded by design-research grants to David Buckley Borden as part of his Fuller Design Fellowship at the Fuller Initiative for Productive Landscapes at the University of Oregon. Additional financial support for project fabrication was provided by the Oregon State University Foundation’s Andrews Fund as part of Borden’s design-research residency at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. Collaborating landscape architecture graduate students at the University of Oregon were also funded through the sale of artwork on this website.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Impaler,’ commonly known as the “river pike pine” has a medium-to-large-sized cone. It is found in cool riparian valley systems and is associated with river log drives of the 19th and 20th Century lumber trade in North America. No

Pinus sabiniana ‘Impaler,’ commonly known as the “river pike pine” has a medium-to-large-sized cone. It is found in cool riparian valley systems and is associated with river log drives of the 19th and 20th Century lumber trade in North America. Notwithstanding its industrial past, the tree’s iconic cone is prized by tree huggers for its sharp uni-terminal point. The pike tip is covered in a red macro-plastic cap per the Gothic Herbarium safety code.

Fun Fact: A Pinus sabiniana ‘Impaler,’ can be seen on the fireplace mantel in the background in the famous “familial crisis” scene in the 1971 film, Sometimes a Great Notion, starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Barbus,’ commonly known as the “barb pine” or “sloth hooker,” is considered to be an arboreal anachronism. The umbos of the cone evolved along with the giant ground sloths, including Megalonyx, who were widespread in North America

Pinus sabiniana ‘Barbus,’ commonly known as the “barb pine” or “sloth hooker,” is considered to be an arboreal anachronism. The umbos of the cone evolved along with the giant ground sloths, including Megalonyx, who were widespread in North America up to the Wisconsin Ice Age. The barbed pine cone adapted to attach to the sloth’s woolly coat in order to spread its seeds over a long-range as the sloth would walk great distances in search of food.

As land sloths slowly went extinct, early Homo sapiens learned to cultivate the barbed pine specimen for its unique Velcro-like characteristic and commonly used the clingy cone as a practical joke during tedious hunting and gathering trips.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Grapnelia,’ commonly known as a “grappling foothills pine” or “gray batman hook pine” is a large-sized pine tree endemic to California. The tree is easily identified by its sharp spiny cone and grappling hook-like terminus. The co

Pinus sabiniana ‘Grapnelia,’ commonly known as a “grappling foothills pine” or “gray batman hook pine” is a large-sized pine tree endemic to California. The tree is easily identified by its sharp spiny cone and grappling hook-like terminus. The cone, about the size of an American football, is spiked, relatively heavy (up to three kilograms), and is a known “public safety hazard” during even the most mild wind events. Despite the cone’s dangerous reputation as a “widower,” dendrophiles are still seduced by the cone’s remarkable gnarly appearance and size.

Note: Red safety covers have been placed on sharp terminus tips per public health regulations of the state of California.

Pinus sabiniana ‘ Forksis,’ commonly known as the “pitch fork pine” is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to western North America, primarily from British Columbia to northern California and as far east as Idaho. It is found in environments

Pinus sabiniana ‘Forksis,’ commonly known as the “pitch fork pine” is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to western North America, primarily from British Columbia to northern California and as far east as Idaho. It is found in environments that most other tree species find unsuitable for growth, such as acidic, sandy soils, not to mention disturbed landscapes of political unrest and cultural upheaval.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Whack Bat,’ commonly known as the “grenade pine,” is a common seed bomb cultivar found west of the Rocky Mountains. The fire-activated oblong cone with its single stem pin and large ring is rumored to be the inspiration for the fi

Pinus sabiniana ‘Whack Bat,’ commonly known as the “grenade pine,” is a common seed bomb cultivar found west of the Rocky Mountains. The fire-activated oblong cone with its single stem pin and large ring is rumored to be the inspiration for the fictitious game of “Whack Bat” in the 2009 cult classic film Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a result of the Andersonian association, the ‘Whack Bat’ pine strobili are bona fide trophy cones.

Caveat emptor: unscrupulous cone traders have been known to pass off the common “ringworm pine” cone (easily identified by its double stem pin) for the premium price of a ‘Whack Bat’ cone. Nihilo sanctum estne?

Pinus sabiniana ‘ Tines,’ commonly known as the “spork pine,” is a medium-to-large sized pine cultivated for its tolerance of dry urban environments. It was specifically cultivated for the North American market and is typically found to the left o

Pinus sabiniana ‘Tines,’ commonly known as the “spork pine,” is a medium-to-large sized pine cultivated for its tolerance of dry urban environments. It was specifically cultivated for the North American market and is typically found to the left of the feeble plastic knife.

Pinus sabiniana , ‘David’s Bowie,’ commonly known as a “bowie knife pine”, or simply, “knife pine,” is a large pine prized for its sharp pointed cone and cutting edge. The bowie cone has an uncanny resemblance to the Americana hunting knife of the

Pinus sabiniana, ‘David’s Bowie,’ commonly known as a “bowie knife pine”, or simply, “knife pine,” is a large pine prized for its sharp pointed cone and cutting edge. The bowie cone has an uncanny resemblance to the Americana hunting knife of the same name. The red safety cap has been removed for this photograph in order to highlight the potentially lethal tip of this bizarre Pinus sabiniana cultivar. The cone is a colorful pop in any teenager’s pine cone war chest of crude blades and spent shells from the local sand pit range.

Pinus sabiniana ‘Anglerus,’ commonly known as the “lure pine,” is a medium-sized pine cultivated for its cone’s curious appearance of an oversized fly fishing lure. Today, the prized cones can be found in glass display cases in high-dollar eco-tou

Pinus sabiniana ‘Anglerus,’ commonly known as the “lure pine,” is a medium-sized pine cultivated for its cone’s curious appearance of an oversized fly fishing lure. Today, the prized cones can be found in glass display cases in high-dollar eco-tourism hot spots, i.e., Jackson, WY. The dyed turkey feathers in the lure cone (photograph above) are an after-market phenomenon that is generally frowned upon within serious collector circles. Other popular materials for customizing cones include: chicken contour feathers, bison pantaloon hairs, and ungulate vibrissae, especially Quey brand elk whiskers.

The Arboreal Goth Cone Collection is a speculative-design project exploring gothic hybrids of ecology, industrial material, collector culture, and late-capitalism in North America. The original “art cone” concept stems from an obscure pine cone ar

The Arboreal Goth Cone Collection is a speculative-design project exploring gothic hybrids of ecology, industrial material, collector culture, and late-capitalism in North America. The original “art cone” concept stems from an obscure pine cone artform practiced by USFS lookout personnel stationed in wildfire watchtowers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The mixed-media objects are created from old logging tools, foothill pine cones, macro plastics, oil-based paints, and natural oils and waxes. Dimensions vary by cultivar, 2023-2024.

Arboreal Goth Cone Collection collaborators: Vinnie Arnone, William Bonner, David Buckley Borden, Mike Demaggio, Adam DeSorbo, Asa DeWitt, Ashley Ferguson, Helen Popinchalk, Nancy Silvers, and Ian Escher Vierck.

Photography by Adam DeSorbo.

The complete catalog of the Arboreal Goth Cone Collection is available from the Unfinished Book Bureau and can be purchased here.