Identifying Trees of the West : An All-season Guide to Western North America (9780811762854) by Demarco Lois; Mengel Jay & Jay Mengel

Author:Demarco, Lois; Mengel, Jay & Jay Mengel
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811762854
Publisher: Natl Book Network

Limber Pine, Pinus flexilis

White Pine, Rocky Mountain White Pine

Limber Pine is a small evergreen that grows to a height of 30 to 50 feet with a diameter up to 2 feet. The bark on younger trees is smooth and white to greenish gray but on older trees is reddish brown, almost black, with fissures that create rectangular or square, scaly blocks. The trunk is stout and tapered. It has a long, elliptical crown with many drooping branches that can reach the ground.

Needlelike leaves are five per bundle, 2 to 3½ inches long, light to dark green, with fine white lines on all surfaces, slender, flexible, and clustered at the ends of twigs. The yellow-brown cones are 3 to 6 inches long and egg shaped to cylindrical, with short stems. The cone scales are thickened and end in a blunt point. Cones open annually at maturity. The dark seeds are large, up to ½ inch in diameter, and edible.

Limber Pine is found on dry, rocky ridges often near timberline. At that elevation, trees are often shaped into stunted shrubs from exposure to wind and snow. It often grows in pure stands and is relatively slow growing.

Features: Twigs are extremely tough and flexible and can be tied into knots. It has some commercial value for construction lumber and railroad ties.

Range: From Alberta southward through the Rocky Mountains and into southern California. This subalpine pine is found at higher elevations: 4,000 to 10,000 feet in the north, and up to 11,800 feet in southern California.

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