PINACEAE 



Bristlecone Pine 

 Pinus aristata Engelm. 



HABIT. A subalpine tree 30-40 feet high and 1-2 feet in 

 diameter (max. 60 by 3 feet); bole short, stocky, and com- 

 monly malformed; crown dense, irregular, bushy in appearance, 

 and frequently clothing the stem nearly to the ground. 



LEAVES. In fascicles of 5; l-lVz inches long; stout and 

 curved; deep green; persistent for 10-17 years; in dense, often 

 appressed, clusters; sheath deciduous; lustrous on back, marked 

 on lower or ventral surfaces by numerous rows of stomata; 

 usually showing conspicuous whitish exudations of resin. 



FLOWERS. Male dark orange-red; female purple. 



FRUIT. Cones short-stalked, 3-3 Vi inches long; ovoid- 

 oblong; open at maturity; scales thick, with dark chocolate- 

 brown apophysis; umbo dorsal, with long, bristle-like, fragile, 

 incurved prickle. Seed: H inch long; with long terminal wing. 



TWIGS. Stout; orange-colored, becoming nearly black; long 

 tufts of foliage at ends. Winter buds: Vi inch long, brown. 



BARK. Thin, smooth, and gray-white on young stems; Vi-Va 

 inch thick on mature trunks, red-brown and furrowed. 



WOOD. Unimportant; moderately soft; heartwood pale 

 red-brown; used locally for fuel and mine props. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Very intolerant; growth slow; 

 maturity reached in 200-250 years, attains great age, some trees 

 over 2,000 years old and possibly the oldest living organism; re- 

 production sparse and scattered; tree windfirm. 



HABITAT. From typical Hudsonian to Transition zones; 

 altitudinal range from 7,500-10,800 feet; typical of exposed 

 sites; usually in mixture with limber pine, fir, and spruce. 



* * * 



Foxtail Pine 



Pinus halfouriana Grev. & Balf. 



This California subalpine species closely resembles Pinus 

 aristata except for its cones which are dark purple, 3-5 inches 

 long, and armed with a minute, incurved, deciduous prickle. 



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