Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine
Pinus aristata
Bottlebrush branches of stiff dark needles flecked with white resin dots, on a slow, gnarled, wind-sculpted tree of high Rocky Mountain treeline. Among the longest-lived organisms known. Wants full sun and sharp drainage, and rots in rich or wet garden soil.
- Family
- Pinaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 40–40 ft
- Spacing
- 13–13 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- June
- Bloom colors
- purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~201 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- foundation, hedge or screen, naturalizing
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, NM
Related native plants
More Pinus species
- Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
- Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
- Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
- Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)
- Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)