Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva)
Evergreen Trees (Confiers), Vegetation Around Las Vegas
 
Bristlecone Pine

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.

Bristlecone Pine

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.

Bristlecone Pine
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.

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
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.

bristlecone pine bark End of text.
Bristlecone Pine Mature cone on a branch.
Bristlecone Pine Immature cone.
Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Old cone.
Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Spines on old cone.

 
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Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
© Jim Boone; Last updated 080204
 

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