Pinus flexilis
Flexible Pine ( Pinus flexilis )
The Flexible Pine ( Pinus flexilis ), also called Nevada stone pine is a slow-growing conifer that is native to mountains in western North America. It is rarely higher than 20 meters and reaches a maximum age of about 400 years.
Description
The Flexible pine is a 20 to 35 meter high tree with a loose, conical in youth, aged broad and rounded crown and shallow rooting. The trunk reaches diameter of 100 to 120 centimeters and is covered with a 2.5 to 5 centimeters thick Schuppenborke. In Stand Clear of the tribe remains short. Mostly the kind grows even more sturdy and crooked, bushy at the tree line. The branches are upright or arching, ascending. Young shoots are green, glabrous or with short, brown hair. Later, they are light gray and remain pliable, which the nature has brought her name. The winter buds are about 1 centimeter long. They are broadly ovate and pointed. On short shoots five 4 to 8 inches long and 1 mm wide needles are formed, which are arranged in brush-like, loose tufts. The 1.5 -inch-long needle sheaths fall off early. The needles are stiff, straight or slightly curved, in cross section, almost triangular and entire, with gap opening strip on each side. The life span of needles is 5 to 6 years.
The Flexible pine is monoecious. The male cones are about 1 inches tall and are reddish. The female inflorescences are oblong - ovate, upright stand together and usually in groups of three and four. The almost sessile, glossy light brown and strong resinous cones are 7-15 cm long and 4-6 inches wide. The hard-shelled seeds are 8-12 mm long and 7-8 mm wide. They are equipped with a 2 mm wide, soon falling edge of wing. The seeds mature in the second year. It blooms in June and July, the seeds ripen in August and September.
The chromosome number is.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The Flexible jaw is located in an island- like dissected area in western North America, the Rocky Mountains, the White Mountains, California and in the Sierra Nevada. They are found from southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta to California, Utah and Colorado and east to North Dakota, South Dakota and southwest Nebraska. Isolated deposits are found in northern Arizona and northern New Mexico.
It grows on dry, nutrient-poor, shallow to medium cryptic sites on steep slopes at altitudes of 1000-3700 meters.
The Flexible jaw is guided in the IUCN Red List as not at risk ( " Lower Risk / Least Concern "). It is noted, however, that a re-evaluation of risks is required.
Ecology
The Flexible jaw rarely forms pure stands and is usually associated with the Douglas fir and spruce and fir species. Like many other five noble pine is very susceptible to the Strobenrost.
System
The Flexible jaw is assigned to the genus of the pines of the subgenus strobus, there in the section Quinquefoliae the subsection strobus. In the overlap area with Pinus strobiformis it forms hybrids.
The cultivar ' firmament ' differs from the species by the shorter, evenly gray-blue needles.
Use
The wood is economically insignificant, because of the long blue-green needles, however, the Flexible jaw a certain ornamental value. It came to Europe in 1861 and is fully hardy in Central Europe. The seeds resemble those of the stone pine and are also edible and palatable.