The needles are flat and blunt-pointed and are 1 to 2 inches long. They stand out distinctly from two sides of the branch and are curved. The young needles have a bluish cast. As they mature they become more pale and take on a whitish cast, which, with the light-colored bark, gives the tree its name.
The cones are 2 to 4 inches long, occurring on the upper branches where they stand upright. They are ashen-tinged olive green to purple in color. When mature they break up while still on the tree.
The comparatively smooth bark is ashy gray and covered with conspicuous resin blisters. On older trees the bark thickens and breaks into deep, longitudinal furrows.
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