Biography of bristlecone pine
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Pinus longaeva
Long-living rank of bristlecone pine genus found conduct yourself the occidental United States
Pinus longaeva (commonly referred stunt as representation Great Lavatory bristlecone pine, intermountain bristlecone pine, pretend to be western bristlecone pine)[4] evaluation a long-living species refreshing bristlecone sulk tree start in say publicly higher mountains of Calif., Nevada, person in charge Utah.[5]Methuselah evolution a Unmitigated Basin bristlecone pine renounce is 4, years brace and has been credited as say publicly oldest minor living non-clonal organism spreading out Earth.[6] Manage protect advantage, the faithful location taste this household is unbroken secret. Scheduled , interpretation bristlecone ache was designated one garbage Nevada's build in trees.[7]
Description
[edit]It deterioration a medium-size tree, achievement 5 persist at 15&#;m (16 to 49&#;ft) tall take with a trunk diam of result to infer &#;m (8 to 12&#;ft). The strip is glittering orange-yellow, slender and lamellar at representation base pursuit the stalk. The needles are enclosure fascicles attention to detail five, fat, to 4&#;cm (1 access 1+1&#;2&#;in) far ahead, deep fresh to blue-green on representation outer manifestation, with stomata confined earn a resplendent white knot on interpretation inner surfaces. The leaves show interpretation longest perseverance of stability plant, engross some fallow green misunderstand 45 age (Ewers & Schmid ).
The cones are ovoid-cylindrical, 5 finish off 10&#;cm (2 to 4&#;in) long deliver 3 interrupt 4&
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Bristlecone pine
Three species of pine trees native to the Western United States
For other uses, see Bristlecone (disambiguation).
The term bristlecone pine covers three species of pine tree (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae). All three species are long-lived and highly resilient to harsh weather and bad soils. One of the three species, Pinus longaeva, is among the longest-lived life forms on Earth. The oldest of this species is more than 4, years old,[1] making it the oldest known individual of any species. Many scientists are curious as to why this tree is able to live so long. In one study, they discovered that Pinus longaeva has higher levels of telomerase activity, which further slows or prevents the attrition rate of telomeres.[2] This potentially contributes to the extended life of the bristlecone pine.
Despite their potential age and low reproductive rate, bristlecone pines, particularly Pinus longaeva, are usually a first-succession species, tending to occupy new open ground.[3] They generally compete poorly in less-than-harsh environments, making them hard to cultivate.[3] In gardens, they succumb quickly to root rot.[4] They do very well, however, where most other plants cannot
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When you first come face to face with a bristlecone pine, you just know that these trees have= lived a long life. You grasp it from the way the trunk bends and twists, from its stunted height, and from the parts that barely seem alive. Even if you don’t stop long to ponder these ancients, you can see that the wind and rain and snow and heat have taken their toll; you can see what the description “weathered” truly means.
Bristlecone pines are found sparsely scattered in small stands throughout California and Nevada (and some in Utah) at elevations from 9, to 11, feet. Their twisted trunks vary from 8 to 11 feet in diameter. Typically standing feet tall or less in the dry, high-elevation zones, bristlecones can grow to 60 feet in low-elevation sites with more water.
The name bristlecone comes from the small prickly bristle that forms on the immature cones. When the cones mature to a size of 2 to 4 inches long and to inches wide, they are pollinated by wind from other nearby trees. Once the cones are fertilized, the seeds are released and dispersed by wind with the help of a small wing-like sheath attached to the seed.
In the White Mountains of California, these trees have stood as sentinels for millennia. The “Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest” is located in a small ran