Bristlecone pine Pinus aristata is capable of living in the wild for 1,500 – 2,450+ years. (oldest know Pinus longaeva is believed to be over 4,800 years of age).
Leaves are needle-like 1″-2″ long, grow in fascicles of 5
A unique identifying characteristic is the white resin that remains on the dark green to blueish green needles.
monoecious
Fruit is a cone that appears purple during early development turning yellow or brown as it matures.
thin cone scales are fragile and have a spine that look like a bristle at the end
