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General: Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is a coniferous (cone-bearing) tree with short, roundish needles in
bundles of 5 that radiate in all directions from the twigs. The needles are crowded into bottle-brushes at the ends of the branches. The cones
are sappy, prickly, cylindrical, and about 4-inches long.
In Nevada, Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is the dominant component of the montane vegetation in the Spring and Sheep mountains
in the Hudsonian (Bristlecone Forest) life zone. |
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Family: Pine (Pinaceae).
Other Names: Western Bristlecone Pine, Pinus aristata.
Plant Form: Tall straight tree in sheltered areas; short, twisted, and gnarled in more exposed locations.
Height: To 40 ft tall; strongly tapered upward.
Trunk: To 2.5 ft diameter. |

At timberline, bristlecone pines grow prostrate on the ground. |
Bark: Whitish and smooth on young trees; reddish brown, scaly, fissured on mature trees.
Branches: Gracefully spreading or twisted and gnarled, depending on location.
Needles: Dark green, curved, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inch long; bundles of 5; crowded, forming bottlebrush-like branch ends.
Cones: Oblong, 2- to 5.5-inches long, dark purple brown, hanging, each scale tipped with a stiff, 1/4-inch long, incurved spine. |

When sheltered from the wind, bristlecones grow tall and straight. |
Seeds:
Habitat: Higher elevations in desert mountains.
Elevation: 7,200 to 12,000 feet.
Distribution: California to eastern Utah.
Comments: This is the common tree at high elevations in the Spring and Sheep Mountains. |