
Limber Pines on a forested hillside at 10,000 feet.
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General:
Limber Pine (Pinus
flexilis)
is a coniferous (cone-bearing) tree with medium-length, roundish
needles set in bundles of 5 that radiate in all directions from the
twigs. The cones are cylindrical, about 3-inches long, and the cone
scales have thick tips.
In Nevada, Limber Pine is an uncommon component of the
montane vegetation in the Spring and Sheep mountains in the Transition (Yellow
Pine Forests), Canadian (Pine-Fir Forest),
and Hudsonian (Bristlecone
Forest) life zones. This species is more common north of the
Las Vegas region. |

Limber Pines on a ridge at 11,000 feet.
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Family:
Pine (Pinaceae).
Other Names:
Plant Form:
Tall straight tree with pointed crown in sheltered areas; short,
twisted, and gnarled in more exposed locations.
Height:
To 50 feet tall.
Trunk:
To 3 feet diameter. |
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Bark:
Young tree: smooth, whitish gray; mature tree: dark brown to black,
split by deep furrows and forming rectangular plates.
Branches:
Fairly thick out to the tips, but limber.
Needles:
Bundles of 5; dark green; 1 to 3-1/2 inches long with silvery white
lines on all surfaces; in tufts at end of the branches.
Cones:
Light brown; oblong; without prickles; rounded scales with thick tips,
3- to 8-inches long. |
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Seeds:
Habitat:
Mountain forests, rocky ridges.
Elevation:
7,000 to 12,000 feet.
Distribution:
California to western Canada, South Dakota, and New Mexico.
Comments:
This species can most easily be seen along the Harris
Saddle Trail near Harris Saddle and along the first mile or
so of the North
Loop Trail. |
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End of text. |
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Five needles in a bundle. |
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Flaky, gray bark. |
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Old cones. |
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Broad, open bracts. |
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