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Project Noah Nature School
Pinus aristata
This pine is a medium-sized tree that may grow as tall as 15 meters (approx. 45 feet). The bark is a scaly gray with streaks of red or brown. Needles are grouped in fives.
Typically live at high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains. These particular trees were in the Goliath Scientific Area on Mount Goliath, Colorado.
Individual bristlecone pines are among the oldest organisms known. There are some clones of other organisms that may be older, but for an individual specimen, the bristlecones are very ancient. Some of the trees in the Scientific Area are at least 1500 years old. Other bristlecones pines are even older at 5000 years of age.
Spotted on Jun 5, 2010
Submitted on Jun 16, 2011
2 Comments
An excellent question, Aman. If they could talk, what would they tell us?
I wonder what time feels like to those ancient trees!