Abies bracteata

Bristlecone fir, bristlecone fir, bristlecone fir

Family: Pinaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Bristlecone fir is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) native shrub found in the northern Santa Lucia Range in steep, rocky, fire-resistant slopes of mixed-evergreen forest at elevations of 210 to 1,600 meters. No flowering time is provided in the source data, so the description will omit bloom details. Growing with a distinctive steeple-like mature crown and trunks less than 55 meters tall, this fir features +- drooping branches that may extend to the ground. Its leaves are dark green, less than 6 centimeters long, with distinctive spine-like tips and faintly grooved surfaces. The seed cones are less than 9 centimeters long, with exserted bracts spreading 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters and ending in slender spines.

Habitat: Steep, rocky, fire-resistant slopes, generally in canyon-live-oak phase of mixed-evergreen forest

Elevation: 210-1600 m

Bioregions: n SCoRO (Santa Lucia Range).

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.