Bristlecone Pine, White Mountains, California, Pinus longaeva

The ancient bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) is considered to be the oldest species of tree, as well as the oldest sexually reproducing, nonclonal lifeform on Earth. A number of individual bristlecone pine trees are known to exceed 4000 years of age; the "Methuselah tree" in the Schulman grove was estimated to be 4838 years old in 2006. These extraordinarily hardy, gnarled and lonely trees are best seen in the White Mountains of California, where two exemplary groves (Schulman and Patriarch) can be accessed by car.

Bristlecone pine displays its characteristic gnarled, twisted form as it rises above the arid, dolomite-rich slopes of the White Mountains at 11000-foot elevation. Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California, USA

Species: Bristlecone Pine, Pinus longaeva
Location: White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California
Image ID: 17475
Format: Digital 3:2
Notable: The ancient bristlecone pine tree is considered to be the worlds oldest species of tree (and indeed the world's oldest sexually reproducing, nonclonal lifeform). A number of individual bristlecone pine trees are known to exceed 4000 years of age; the "Methuselah tree" in the Schulman grove was estimated to be 4838 years old in 2006. These extraordinarily hardy, gnarled and lonely trees are best seen in the White Mountains of California, where two exemplary groves (Schulman and Patriarch) can be accessed by car.