Pinus longaeva,
the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, is a long-living species of tree found
in the higher mountains of the southwest US. The species is one of three
closely related trees known as bristlecone pine and is sometimes known as
the Intermountain or Western bristlecone pine.
It is a
medium-size tree, reaching 16 to 49 ft tall and with a trunk diameter of up to
8 ft 2 in to 11 ft 10 in. The bark is bright orange-yellow,
thin and scaly at the base of the trunk. The 'needles' are in fascicles of
five, stout, 1 to 1.5 inch long, deep green to blue-green on the outer face.
These ancient
trees have a gnarled and stunted appearance; especially those found at high
altitudes and have reddish-brown bark with deep fissures. As the tree ages,
much of its layers may die. In very old specimens, often only a narrow
strip of living tissue connects the roots to a handful of live branches.
A specimen of
this species, nicknamed "Methuselah",
located in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of the White Mountains near
Bishop California, is 4,843 years old (as of 2012), as measured by annual ring
count. Its exact location is kept secret.
Another specimen
was measured in 2012 to be 5,062 years old. The identity of the specimen is
also being kept secret. This is the oldest known tree in North America, and the
oldest known individual tree in the world.
Thank you,
Wikipedia.
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