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Pinus longaeva
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{{Short description|Long-living species of bristlecone pine tree found in the western United States}} {{Speciesbox | image = Big_bristlecone_pine_Pinus_longaeva.jpg | image_alt = Very squat tree with a weather beaten gray half dead trunk and crown and living branches against a blue sky | image_caption = A tree in the [[Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest]], [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]], California | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Stritch, L. |author2=Mahalovich, M. |author3=Nelson, K.G. |date=2011 |title=''Pinus longaeva'' |volume=2011 |page=e.T34024A9830878 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T34024A9830878.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = {{TNCStatus}} | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = <ref name="NatureServe">{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=''Pinus longaeva'' |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137730/Pinus_longaeva |access-date=20 October 2024 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2024}}</ref> | genus = Pinus | parent = Pinus subsect. Balfourianae | display_parents = 3 | species = longaeva | authority = D.K.Bailey | range_map = Pinus longaeva range map 1.png | synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=197012-2 |title=''Pinus longaeva'' D.K.Bailey |access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref> | synonyms = {{Collapsible list | {{Species list | Pinus aristata var. longaeva | (D.K.Bailey) Little (1979) | Pinus aristata subsp. longaeva | (D.K.Bailey) A.E.Murray (1983) | Pinus balfouriana subsp. longaeva | (D.K.Bailey) A.E.Murray (1982) }} }} }} '''''Pinus longaeva''''' (commonly referred to as the '''Great Basin bristlecone pine''', '''intermountain bristlecone pine''', or '''western bristlecone pine''')<ref name="FEIS">{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinlon/all.html|title=Pinus longaeva|last=Howard|first=JL|year=2004|work=Fire Effects Information System|publisher=USDA|access-date=2008-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218082200/http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinlon/all.html|archive-date=2008-12-18|url-status=live}}</ref> is a long-living species of [[bristlecone pine]] tree found in the higher mountains of [[California]], [[Nevada]], and [[Utah]].<ref name="Moore2008">{{cite book|author1=Moore, Gerry |author2=Kershner, Bruce |author3=Craig Tufts |author4=Daniel Mathews |author5=Gil Nelson |author6=Spellenberg, Richard |author7=Thieret, John W. |author8=Terry Purinton |author9=Block, Andrew |title=National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America|publisher=Sterling|location=New York|year=2008|page=82|isbn=978-1-4027-3875-3}}</ref> In 1987, the bristlecone pine was designated one of Nevada's [[List of U.S. state trees|state tree]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leg.state.nv.us/general/nvfacts/index.cfm|title=Nevada Facts and State Emblems|publisher=State of Nevada|access-date=2016-02-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327054558/http://www.leg.state.nv.us/General/NVFacts/index.cfm|archive-date=2014-03-27}}</ref> [[Methuselah (pine tree)|Methuselah]] is a Great Basin bristlecone pine that is {{Age nts|-2832|8|5|format=commas}} years old and has been credited as the oldest known living non-[[Vegetative reproduction|clonal]] organism on Earth.<ref name="oldest">{{cite web|url=http://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm|title=Oldlist|publisher=Rocky Mountain Tree Ring Research|access-date=2013-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412091010/http://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm|archive-date=2013-04-12|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Description== It is a medium-size tree, reaching {{convert|5|to|15|m|abbr=on}} tall and with a trunk diameter of up to {{convert|2.5|to|3.6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The bark is bright orange-yellow, thin and scaly at the base of the trunk. The [[Pine#Foliage|needles]] are in fascicles of five, stout, {{convert|2.5|to|4|cm|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, deep green to blue-green on the outer face, with [[stoma]]ta confined to a bright white band on the inner surfaces. The leaves show the longest persistence of any plant, with some remaining green for 45 years (Ewers & Schmid 1981). The [[conifer cone|cones]] are ovoid-cylindrical, {{convert|5|to|10|cm|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|3|to|4|cm|frac=2|abbr=on}} broad when closed, green or purple at first, ripening orange-buff when 16 months old, with numerous thin, fragile scales, each scale with a bristle-like spine {{convert|2|to|5|mm|frac=16|abbr=on}} long. The cones open to {{convert|4|to|6|cm|frac=2|abbr=on}} broad when mature, releasing the seeds immediately after opening. The seeds are {{convert|5|mm|frac=16|abbr=on}} long, with a {{convert|12|to|22|mm|frac=16|abbr=on}} wing; they are mostly dispersed by the wind, but some are also dispersed by [[Clark's nutcracker]]s.{{Cn|date=April 2021}} These ancient trees have a gnarled and stunted appearance, especially those found at high altitudes,<ref name="FEIS"/> and have reddish-brown bark with deep fissures.<ref name="Conifers">{{cite web|url=http://www.conifers.org/|title=The Gymnosperm Database|date=March 2008|access-date=30 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110627213720/http://www.conifers.org/|archive-date=27 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> As the tree ages, much of its [[vascular cambium]] layer may die. In very old specimens, often only a narrow strip of living tissue connects the roots to a handful of live branches.{{Cn|date=April 2021}} The Great Basin bristlecone pine differs from the [[Pinus aristata|Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine]] in that the needles of the former always have two uninterrupted resin canals, so it lacks the characteristic small white resin flecks appearing on the needles of the latter. The Great Basin bristlecone pine differs from the [[Pinus balfouriana|foxtail pine]] because the cone bristles of the former are over {{convert|2|mm|abbr=on}} long, and the cones have a more rounded (not conic) base. The green pine needles give the twisted branches a bottle-brush appearance. The name 'bristlecone pine' refers to the dark purple female cones that bear incurved prickles on their surface.<ref name="Sonic">{{cite web|url=http://www.sonic.net/bristlecone/home.html|title=The Ancient Bristlecone Pine|date=August 2003|access-date=30 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806100538/http://www.sonic.net/bristlecone/home.html|archive-date=6 August 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> <gallery> File:Inyo Bristlecone bcp tree (5632371665).jpg|Tree in [[Inyo National Forest]] File:Pinus longaeva young cone Patriarch Grove.jpg|Young Cone File:Pinus longaeva mature cone Patriarch Grove.jpg| Mature Cone File:2015-07-13 07 39 32 Foliage and pollen cones on a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine along the North Loop Trail about 5.4 miles west of the trailhead in the Mount Charleston Wilderness, Nevada.jpg|pollen cones File:Bristlecone Pinus longaeva new growth.jpg|New growth File:White Mtns Ancient Bristlecone Pines Park - grainy (11226427796).jpg|Bark </gallery> ==Distribution and ecology== [[File:GBBP_distribution_map.png|thumb|left|upright|''Pinus longaeva'' distribution map<ref name=":0" /> (click map to enlarge)]] The species occurs in [[Utah]], [[Nevada]] and eastern [[California]]. In California, it is restricted to the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]], the [[Inyo Mountains]], and the [[Panamint Range]], in [[Mono County|Mono]] and [[Inyo County|Inyo]] counties. In Nevada, it is found in most of the higher ranges of the [[Basin and Range Province|Basin and Range]] from the [[Spring Mountains]] near [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] north to the [[Ruby Mountains]], and in Utah, northeast to South Tent in the [[Wasatch Range]]. Due to the inaccessibility of many of the sites that this species occupies, information on their location and abundance is incomplete, and thus is needed.Β [[Environmental niche modelling]] has been used to better map the distribution of Great Basin bristlecone pine using topographic and spectral variables calculated from a [[geographic information system]] (GIS).<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis|last=Gray|first=Curtis|title=Impact of Climate Variability on the Frequency and Severity of Ecological Disturbances in Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Sky Island Ecosystems|date=2017|publisher=Utah State University|url=https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6529/|language=en|access-date=2018-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207045541/https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6529/|archive-date=2018-12-07|url-status=live}}</ref> The tree grows in large open stands, unlike the related [[foxtail pine]], which sometimes form dense forests. ''Pinus longaeva'' trees generally do not form closed canopies, usually covering only 15-50%.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" /> ''Pinus longaeva'' shares habitats with a number of other pine species, including the [[ponderosa pine]], the [[white fir]] and, notably, the [[limber pine]], a similarly long-lived high-elevation species.<ref name="FEIS"/> The tree is a "vigorous" [[primary succession]] species, growing quickly on new open ground.<ref name="FEIS"/> It is a "poor competitor" in good soils, however, and the species does best in harsh terrain. ''Pinus longaeva'' is often the dominant species in high-elevation dolomite soils, where few plants can grow.<ref name="FEIS"/> [[Image:Bristlecone hillside.jpg|thumb|left|Bristlecones on dolomite hillside, [[Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest]]]] Bristlecone pines are protected in a number of areas owned by the United States federal government, such as the [[Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest]] in the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]] of California and the [[Great Basin National Park]] in Nevada.<ref name=Sonic/><ref name="Global">{{cite web|url=http://www.globaltrees.org|title=Global Trees Campaign|date=March 2008|access-date=30 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711113113/http://globaltrees.org/|archive-date=11 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> These areas prohibit the cutting or gathering of wood.<ref name=Global/> [[Clark's nutcracker]]s may play a role in seed distribution for ''P. longaeva'', though direct observations of the birds foraging on these seeds have not been reported.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lanner |first1=Ronald M. |last2=Hutchins |first2=Harry E. |last3=Lanner |first3=Harriette A. |date=1984 |title=Bristlecone Pine and Clark's Nutcracker: Probable Interaction in the White Mountains, California |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41712083 |journal=The Great Basin Naturalist |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=357β360 |jstor=41712083 |issn=0017-3614}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Lanner |first=Ronald M. |date=1988 |title=Dependence of Great Basin Bristlecone Pine on Clark's Nutcracker for Regeneration at High Elevations |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1551268 |journal=Arctic and Alpine Research |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=358β362 |doi=10.2307/1551268 |jstor=1551268 |issn=0004-0851|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The nutcrackers use conifer seeds as a food resource, storing many for later use in the ground, and some of these stored seeds are not used and are able to grow into new plants; these trees often exhibit a "multi-trunk" growth form from several seeds germinating at the same time. The prevalence of multi-trunk ''P. longaeva'' individuals in areas in which Clark's Nutcrackers are present has been used as evidence that the birds disperse ''P. longaeva'' seeds.<ref name=":1" /> An introduced fungal disease known as white pine blister rust (''[[Cronartium ribicola]]'') is believed to affect some individuals. The species was placed on the [[IUCN Red List]] and listed as "Vulnerable", or [[threatened species|threatened]], in 1998.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" /> In 2011, however, a population survey found the population of ''Pinus longaeva'' to be stable, with no known subpopulations decreasing in size. White pine blister rust was found to have a negligible effect on the population. As a result, the species was moved to "Least Concern".<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" /> ===Fire ecology=== [[Image:Bristlecone CA.JPG|thumb|Bristlecone pine, [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]], California]] The tree is extremely susceptible to fire, and is damaged by even low-intensity burns. The resinous bark is capable of igniting quickly, and a crown fire will almost certainly kill the tree. However, populations of ''Pinus longaeva'' are known to be extremely resilient, and as a primary succession species, it is believed that populations of the tree would reestablish itself quickly after a fire. That said, large-scale fires are extremely uncommon where the species grows, and are not a major factor in the species' long-term viability.<ref name="FEIS"/> Historically, ''Pinus longaeva'' stands experienced low to high severity fires, and fuels structures changed considerably across elevational gradients. In low elevation, mixed species stands, fuels are often heavy and in close proximity to anthropogenic ignition sources. Yet at high elevations near [[Tree line|treeline]], ''Pinus longaeva'' typically grow on limestone outcroppings that provide little or no surface fuels to propagate a [[wildfire]]. However, warmer temperatures will likely increase the duration of fire season, and thus the frequency of fire in ''Pinus longeava'' systems at low and mid elevations could increase where stands are typically denser and surface fuel is greatest. While rare, wild fires such as The [[Carpenter 1 Fire|Carpenter 1 fire]] in southern Nevada (July 2013) and the Phillips Fire in [[Great Basin National Park]], (September 2000) that started in lower elevation fuel types and moved through the crowns of trees with the aid of extreme fire weather, could become more likely.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gray|first=C|date=2017-05-15|title=Climate warming alters fuels across elevational gradients in Great Basin bristlecone pine-dominated sky island forests|journal=Forest Ecology and Management|language=en|volume=392|pages=125β136|doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2017.03.004|issn=0378-1127|doi-access=free|bibcode=2017ForEM.392..125G}}</ref> ==Age== [[File:BristleConeBranch.jpg|thumb|Needles and cones, [[Snake Range]], Nevada]] A specimen located in the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains of California]] was measured by Tom Harlan, a researcher with the [[Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research]], to be 5,062 years old as of 2010.<ref name=oldest/> This would make it the [[oldest tree|oldest known]] non-clonal tree in the world. The identity of the specimen was kept secret by Harlan.<ref name="collweekly">{{cite web|author=Oatman-Stanford, Hunter|title=Read My Rings: The Oldest Living Tree Tells All|url=http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/oldest-living-tree-tells-all/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729183229/http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/oldest-living-tree-tells-all/|archive-date=2014-07-29|access-date=2014-07-27|publisher=Collectors Weekly}}</ref> Harlan passed away in 2013, and neither the tree nor the core Harlan studied have been found, making the age or existence of this tree unable to be confirmed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RMTRR OLDLIST|url=http://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm|access-date=2020-08-22|website=www.rmtrr.org}}</ref> The confirmed oldest tree of this species, "[[Methuselah (pine tree)|Methuselah]]", is also located in the [[Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest]] of the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]]. Methuselah is {{age|-2832|8|5|format=commas}} years old, as measured by annual ring count on a small core taken with an [[increment borer]]. Among the White Mountain specimens, the oldest trees are found on north-facing slopes, with an average of 2,000 years, as compared to the 1,000 year average on the southern slopes. The climate and the durability of their wood can preserve them long after death, with dead trees as old as 7,000 years persisting next to live ones.<ref name="lp37">{{cite book|title=Ancient Trees: Trees that Live for a Thousand Years|last=Lewington|first=A|author2=Parker E |year=1999|publisher=Collins & Brown Ltd.|location=London|isbn=1-85585-704-9|page=37}}</ref> ==See also== * [[List of superlative trees]] ==References== {{ARKive attribute}} {{Reflist}} {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite journal|doi=10.1007/BF00344660|pmid=28310317|last1=Ewers|first1=F. W.|last2=Schmid|first2=R.|year=1981|title=Longevity of needle fascicles of ''Pinus longaeva'' (bristlecone pine) and other North American pines|journal=[[Oecologia]]|volume=51|issue=1|pages=107β15|bibcode=1981Oecol..51..107E|s2cid=19465953}} * {{cite book|title=Ancient Trees: Trees that Live for a Thousand Years|last=Lewington|first=A.|author2=Parker, E. |year=1999|publisher=Collins & Brown Ltd.|location=London|isbn=1-85585-704-9}} {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Commons and category|Pinus longaeva}} * {{ARKive}} * [http://www.sonic.net/bristlecone/ The ancient bristlecone pine] * [http://www.pinetum.org/cones/PNDucampopinus.htm Photo of cone (scroll to bottom of page)] * [http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/highelevationwhitepines/trees/GB-bristlecone.htm High elevation white pine educational website: ''Pinus longaeva''] * [http://www.aeonmagazine.com/nature-and-cosmos/ross-andersen-bristlecone-pines-anthropocene/ Aeon Magazine longform article on Bristlecone pines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801030434/http://www.aeonmagazine.com/nature-and-cosmos/ross-andersen-bristlecone-pines-anthropocene/ |date=2013-08-01 }} {{Taxonbar|from=Q1116374}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Pinus|longaeva]] [[Category:Flora of California]] [[Category:Flora of Nevada]] [[Category:Flora of Utah]] [[Category:Trees of Northern America]] [[Category:Negligibly senescent organisms]] [[Category:Drought-tolerant trees]]
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