Stats

Lifespan

Up to 1000 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Subalpine forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Endangered

About

This hardy conifer clings to the windswept, rocky ridges of western mountains. It relies entirely on the Clark's nutcracker to bury its seeds in the soil to germinate.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Pinopsida

Order

Pinales

Family

Pinaceae

Genus

Pinus

Species

Pinus albicaulis