bristlecone pine

bris·tle·cone pine  (brsl-kn)

n.

Either of two small slow-growing pines (Pinus aristata or P. longaeva) found at higher elevations of the western United States, having needles in fascicles of five. Specimens of P. longaeva in the Sierra Nevada are the oldest known living trees, achieving ages well over 4,000 years.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

bristlecone pine - small slow-growing upland pine of western United States (Rocky Mountains) having dense branches with fissured rust-brown bark and short needles in bunches of 5 and thorn-tipped cone scales; among the oldest living things some over 4500 years old Pinus aristata, Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine pine, pine tree, true pine - a coniferous tree