Pinus flexilis

Limber pine

Family: Pinaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Limber pine is a native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, eastern Sierra Nevada, and northern Desert Mountains in high-elevation forests between 1,830 to 3,700 meters. Its mature bark develops distinctive dark brown, deep-furrowed rectangular plates, with branches that may reach to the ground or remain elevated. Growing with stiff, curved needles arranged in dense tufts, this pine produces five needles per bundle that are 2 to 9 centimeters long. The tree forms compact crowns with mature branches that have a distinctive architectural quality, with seed cones spreading 7 to 15 centimeters long in yellow-brown coloration. Its seed cones are notable for having thin scales without prickles and a wing that generally remains persistent on the scale.

Habitat: Lodgepole, subalpine, bristlecone forests

Elevation: 1830-3700 m

Bioregions: SNH, TR, PR, SNE, n DMtns

California counties: Inyo, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Mono, Kern, Madera, Fresno, Ventura, Tulare, Lassen, Tuolumne, El Dorado

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