Ancient bristlecone pine tree, Pinus longaeva, #23236

Ancient bristlecone pine tree, rising above the arid, dolomite-rich slopes of the Schulman Grove in the White Mountains at an elevation of 9500 above sea level, along the Methuselah Walk. The oldest bristlecone pines in the world are found in the Schulman Grove, some of them over 4700 years old. 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: 23236
Format: Digital 2:3
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.