← Bedfellow

Limber Pine

Pinus flexilis

A gnarled, wind-sculpted pine of exposed ridges with branches so pliable they can be tied in a knot. Its large seeds feed nutcrackers and bears at treeline. The oil-rich seed has a resinous, pleasant flavor, and the inner bark has served as a thickening flour.

Family

Pinaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

40–60 ft

Spacing

25–40 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

June, July, August

Bloom colors

red, green, purple

Wildlife value

pollinators, mammals, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~201 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

hedge or screen, naturalizing

Native states

AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WY