Pinus balfouriana

Foxtail pine
Two large trees with flattened and irregular crowns on a rocky mountain side
John Muir Trail, between Forester Pass and Wallace Creek, southern Sierra Nevada
Apparently Secure
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnosperms
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pinus
Subgenus: P. subg. Strobus
Section: P. sect. Parrya
Subsection: P. subsect. Balfourianae
Species:
P. balfouriana
Binomial name
Pinus balfouriana
Balf., 1853
Natural range of Pinus balfouriana
Synonyms
List
    • Pinus balfouriana subsp. austrina R.J.Mastrog. & J.D.Mastrog. (1980)
    • Pinus balfouriana var. austrina (R.J.Mastrog. & J.D.Mastrog.) Silba (1984)

Pinus balfouriana, the foxtail pine, is a rare high-elevation pine that is endemic to California, United States. One of three species of bristlecone pines (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae), P. balfouriana is closely related to the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines. Although these three species can hybridize in cultivation, their ranges do not overlap, and hybridization has not been demonstrated in wild populations.

Description

P. balfouriana grows up to 22 m (70 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 2.6 m (9 ft) in diameter. Its leaves are needle-like, in bundles of five, and 1.5–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) long, deep glossy green on the outer face, and white on the inner faces; they persist for 10–30 years. The cones are 6–11 cm (2+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 in) long, dark purple ripening red-brown, with soft, flexible scales each with a 1-millimeter (1⁄16-inch) central prickle.

Distribution

P. balfouriana is a tree line species, with two subspecies currently recognized. The two subspecies occur in two geographically distinct populations. P. balfouriana var. balfouriana occurs in the subalpine forest at an elevation of 1,950–2,750 m (6,400–9,020 ft) in the Klamath Mountains, while P. balfouriana var. austrina is found in pure or nearly pure stands at an elevation of 2,750–3,650 m (9,020–11,980 ft) in the southern Sierra Nevada, around the headwaters of the Kings, Kern and Kaweah Rivers (in the area around Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks).

ImageSubspeciesDistribution
Pinus balfouriana var. balfourianasouthern Klamath Mountains
Pinus balfouriana var. austrinathe southern Sierra Nevada

Age

P. balfouriana may live up to 3000 years in the Sierra Nevada, although the oldest reliably dated living specimen is 2110 years. In the Klamath Mountains, ages are only known to about 1000 years.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ Farjon, A. (2013). "Pinus balfouriana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T42345A2974187. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42345A2974187.en. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  2. ↑ NatureServe (2024). "Pinus balfouriana". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "Pinus balfouriana Balf". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 Earle, Christopher J. (2026). "Pinus balfouriana". The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  5. ↑ Chase, Joseph Smeaton (1911). "Pinus balfouriana (Foxtail-pine, Balfour-pine)". Cone-Bearing Trees of the California Mountains. Eytel, Carl (illustrations). Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company. p. 45. LCCN 11004975. OCLC 3477527.
  6. ↑ Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Craig Tufts; Daniel Mathews; Gil Nelson; Spellenberg, Richard; Thieret, John W.; Terry Purinton; Block, Andrew (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4027-3875-3.
  7. ↑ Earle, Christopher J. (2026). "How Old Is That Tree?". The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 12 October 2026.

Further reading