familyPinaceae
genusPinus

Pinus flexilis

E. James

Account Exped. Pittsburgh 2: 27, 35. 1823.

Common names: Limber pine pin blanc de l'ouest
Endemic
Synonyms: Apinus flexilis (E.James) Rydberg
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Trees to 26m; trunk to 2m diam., straight to contorted; crown conic, becoming rounded. Bark gray, nearly smooth, cross-checked in age into scaly plates and ridges. Branches spreading to ascending, often persistent to trunk base; twigs pale redbrown, puberulous (rarely glabrous), slightly resinous, aging gray, smooth. Buds ovoid, light-redbrown, 0.9–1cm, resinous; lower scales ciliolate along margins. Leaves 5 per fascicle, spreading to upcurved and ascending, persisting 5–6 years, 3–7cm × 1–1.5mm, pliant, dark green, abaxial surface with less conspicuous stomatal bands than adaxial surfaces, adaxial surfaces with strong, pale stomatal bands, margins finely serrulate, apex conic-acute to acuminate; sheath 1–1.5 (–2) cm, shed early. Pollen cones broadly ellipsoid-cylindric, ca. 15mm, pale-red or yellow. Seed-cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, spreading, symmetric, lanceovoid before opening, cylindro-ovoid when open, 7–15cm, straw-colored, resinous, sessile to short-stalked, apophyses much thickened, strongly cross-keeled, umbo terminal, depressed. Seeds irregularly obovoid; body 10–15mm, brown, sometimes mottled darker, wingless or nearly so. 2n =24.


Habitat: High montane forests, often at timberline
Elevation: (1000–)1500–3600m

Distribution

V2 402-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., N.Dak., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Pinus flexilis, much branched with a strongly tapering trunk, is little utilized because of its form and relative inaccessibility. It reportedly forms intermediates with P. strobiformis where the two overlap. The fresh-cut wood has the odor of turpentine.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"relatively thin" is not a number.

... more about "Pinus flexilis"
resinous +
conic-acute +  and acuminate +
cross-keeled +
Robert Kral +
E. James +
nearly +  and wingless +
mottled darker +  and brown +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
persistent +
spreading +  and ascending +
resinous +
light-redbrown +
conspicuous +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Limber pine +  and pin blanc de l'ouest +
sessile +  and short-stalked +
straw-colored +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
falling +  and maturing +
cylindro-ovoid +  and lanceovoid +
rounded +  and conic +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, N.Dak. +, Oreg. +, S.Dak. +, Utah +  and Wyo. +
(1000–)1500–3600m +
sheathed +  and sessile +
rounded +, 2-3-angled +  and terete +
High montane forests, often at timberline +
sessile +  and short-petiolate +
arranged +  and fascicles +
dark green +
persisting +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
ascending;spreading;upcurved +
5 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
scale-like +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
not winged +  and 2-winged +
yellow +  and pale-red +
ellipsoid-cylindric +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (?) +
Account Exped. Pittsburgh +
fibrous;woody +
arranged +  and overlapping +
persistent +
flattened +
pliable +  and woody +
grouped +  and solitary +
long-persistent +
wingless +, winged +, stalked +  and sessile +
persistent +
pendent;more or less erect +
obovoid +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
reduced;well-defined short +
extended +
Apinus flexilis +
Pinus flexilis +
species +
decurrent +  and elongate +
straight +
resinous +
gray +  and pale redbrown +
puberulous +
depressed +
reduced +