Comments on: Bristlecones

By: chuck b.

chuck b. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:18:31 +0000

I need to see these trees. We spent a whole lecture talking about them in an ecology class I took some years ago. I was esp fascinated about the short growth cycle. This is common in extreme environments, e.g., high latitudes or altitudes.

I imagine Pinus longaeva seeds are hard to come by, but I’ve never looked for them.

By: ryan

ryan — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:11:36 +0000

Thanks. I don’t know about non-Californian plants having a claim at being oldest in the world — I like the idea that we have the oldest, the tallest, the biggest, and the bestest…uh, wait, does that sound obnoxious? — but it’s really interesting. You reminded me that I meant to put “oldest tree in the world” in quotes.

By: Brad B

Brad B — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:29:04 +0000

Great post. Thanks for the links as well. The Rachel Sussman photos are fascinating, though it looks like the bristlecones have a lot of stiff competition for oldest living thing. Since they are including clonal plants I wonder how old some of the redwood clone’s genetic material is.

By: ryan

ryan — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:05:05 +0000

Looking at the chalky, sandy soil they were growing on, it seemed like they wouldn’t do well on Bay Area clay, as if they’d probably act like monterey pines. It would be fun to plant one if I lived somewhere they could grow.

By: buenorific

buenorific — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:15:31 +0000

I’ve planted bristlecones in gardens for clients when I was n Santa Fe and the quickest way to kill them is with kindness. When they start looking brown & stressed it means the soil is too rich or the water too generous! Talk about thriving on neglect.

By: ryan

ryan — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:51:05 +0000

I quickly looked up if I could plant a tree at my house and have it live 5,000 years. Not unless I move to a mountain in the Great Basin. I’m fascinated that the 6 week growing cycle somehow results in such longevity.
I thought those creosote rings were cool too.