General Description | An intriguing plant with its ability to live for an astonishingly long period of time. Its slow growth creates an extremely dense wood which aids in its resistance to fire damage, disease, rot, insect and fungal infections. The strong winds endured in its habitat sculpt the trees wood giving it a striking and distinguishable appearance. |
ID Characteristic | Twisting and turning like a stretched and torn piece of clay, the appearance of bristlecone pines can be quite remarkable. The exposed wood is carved like stone by sand and ice being whipped up from harsh weather conditions. A very thick trunk supports a somewhat small but dense canopy. |
Shape | Very irregular, odd shape almost bottle-brush like. |
Landscape | Not a common landscape plant as it does not perform well outside of its dry arid natural habitat. |
Propagation | Propagation from seed and grafting. |
Cultivation | To achieve a slower growth rate, new growth should be pruned back once a year. This is not mandatory and care should be taken when doing so. |
Pests | White pine blister rust. |
Habitat | High elevations in the southwestern United States of America. The largest population is in the White Mountains of California. Most populations grow between 1,700 m and 3,500 m above sea level. |
Bark/Stem Description | Bark is reddish brown in colour and fades slightly as the tree ages. Young bark is smooth, however develops deep irregular grooves as it matures. |
Leaf Description | Needles approximately 2-4 cm in length, and are rather firm with a sharp point. Found in fasciles of five, some trees can retain their needles for over 20 years. |
Fruit Description | Cones, uniform in shape, 7 cm in length and 3 cm wide with a slight purple hue. |
Colour Description | Red to brown coloured bark, foliage is green to yellow-green (younger needles are lighter in colour than older needles). |
Texture Description | Very rough looking appearance, a rugged plant. |