Introductory
SPECIES: Pinus longaeva | Great Basin Bristlecone Pine 



ABBREVIATION : 
PINLON

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   PILO


COMMON NAMES : 
   Great Basin bristlecone pine
   bristlecone pine
   Great Basin foxtail pine
   Intermountain bristlecone pine


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of Great Basin bristlecone pine
is Pinus longaeva D. K. Bailey [3,8].  Bailey [3] gave the western
populations of bristlecone pine the name Pinus longaeva and left the
older name of P. aristata Engelm. (Rocky Mountain bristlecone) for the
eastern populations.  Great Basin and Rocky Mountain bristlecones differ
in several important characteristics:  chemistry, needle structure, and
cone morphology.  The Colorado-Green River drainage has separated them
for millions of years and crosses between the two species are relatively
unsuccessful [8].  Today they are separated by 160 miles (260 km).

Great Basin bristlecone and foxtail pine (P. balfouriana) are more
similar to each other than the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain
bristlecones.  In addition, they are separated by only 20 miles (32 km)
[3].  Essential oils of wood and foliage support the morphological and
chemical separation of the two bristlecone pines and the foxtail pine
[27].

In the White Mountains of California, there may be a natural hybrid
between Great Basin bristlecone and foxtail pine, as cones from trees
there resemble those of the foxtail pine.  If this has occurred, then
westerly winds may have carried pollen from the southern Sierra Nevada
foxtail population across the Owens Valley to the bristlecones in the
White Mountains.  When this same cross was conducted in a laboratory,
fairly high numbers of hybrid seed were produced [27].


LIFE FORM : 
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Kathy Ahlenslager, November 1986



LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
Kathy Ahlenslager, December 1987


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Ahlenslager, Kathleen E. 1987. Pinus longaeva. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Pinus longaeva | Great Basin Bristlecone Pine