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Pinus balfouriana

Pinus balfouriana Balf.

Foxtail Pine

Pinaceae (Pine Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: PIBA

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Pine with very short needles crowded against twigs suggesting a foxtail, and irregular crown of short, spreading branches; a shrub at timberline.

Foxtail Pine is closely related to Bristlecone Pine, which is sometimes also called Foxtail Pine because of the similar foliage. Bristlecone Pine, inhabiting high mountains farther east, has shorter cones, with each cone-scale ending in a slender bristle.

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Fascicled
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 70 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Brown
Bloom Notes: Cones reddish brown, seed cones take 2 years to mature.

Distribution

USA: CA
Native Distribution: Local in mountains of N. California and Sierra Nevada of E. central California; at 6000-11,500' (1829-3505 m).
Native Habitat: Exposed, dry, rocky slopes and ridges of high mountains in subalpine zone to timberline; with Whitebark Pine.

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Pinus balfouriana in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Pinus balfouriana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Pinus balfouriana

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-06-07
Research By: TWC Staff

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