Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living trees, with some individuals thousands of years old.

The longer version

Great age in bristlecone pines comes from a slow, conservative way of living. Dense resinous wood resists insects and rot, and the harsh, dry sites they occupy have few competitors, few fires, and little soil for other plants to exploit.

A tree may also keep only a narrow strip of living bark, shedding the rest as conditions change, which reduces the tissue it must maintain. Individual stems can die back while a portion of the tree continues, so the organism persists long after any single branch has gone. Ring counts from living and dead wood of this kind have been matched to build long continuous records.

Where this entry sits

Plants and Trees gathers ordinary and surprising details about how green things live, from the tallest forest giants down to the moss on a garden wall. Expect notes on flowers, seeds, roots, leaves, fungi, and the quiet tricks plants use to spread and survive. The full list sits on the Plants and Trees page, where every entry is listed in order.