Pinus aristata

What to Eat

Edible parts: Seeds

The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. They are up to 6mm long, rich in oil, and have a slightly resinous flavour. A vanillin flavouring is also obtained as a by-product of resins released from the pulpwood.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It can grow on poor soils. It cannot tolerate shade. It suits hardiness zones 4-7. Arboretum Tasmania.

Australia, Canada, North America, Tasmania, USA,

How to Identify

A small soft pine. The bark is green and smooth but becomes reddish brown and cracked with age. The needles are in bundles of 5. They are 2-4 cm long. They remain on the tree for up to 20 years. They are curved and dark green. They are tufted towards the tip of the shoot. The seed cones are oval and 4-8 cm long. They are blunt tipped, greyish-brown and without stalks. The scales have a long slender prickle.

How to Grow

Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils. Established plants tolerate drought. A wind tolerant tree, it often grows on very exposed ridges in the wild. Trees grow best in areas with cold dry summers, the largest cultivated specimen is in dry sub-continental north-east Iceland. A very slow growing (to 6 metres in 60 years at Kew) and short-lived tree in Britain, though it lives for 2000 years or more in its native range. This is the oldest known living plant with specimens over 4000 years old. This species is closely related to P. balfouriana. The cones open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree. Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus. Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants below the tree. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Heat zone: 9-1.

Propagation: Sow seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, or in late winter if not possible. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve germination of stored seed. Plant seedlings into permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for the first winter or two. Plants have a very sparse root system and establish best when moved young — ideally between 30 and 90cm tall, though we plant them out at around 5–10cm tall. A thorough weed-excluding mulch helps them establish well. Larger transplants check badly and may put on little growth for several years, which also impairs root development and wind resistance. Cuttings work only when taken from trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot; disbudding the shoots a few weeks before taking cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to establish.

Medicinal Uses

Turpentine from pine resin is antiseptic, diuretic, rubefacient, and vermifuge. Taken internally it is a valuable treatment for kidney and bladder complaints, and is used both internally and as a rub and steam bath for rheumatic conditions. It benefits the respiratory system and is useful for diseases of the mucous membranes and complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza, and TB. Externally it treats skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, and boils, applied as liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths, and inhalers.

Other Uses

A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles. The tree may be a source of antioxidants that contribute to longevity. The needles contain terpene, released when rain washes over them, which inhibits germination of some plants including wheat. Oleo-resins occur in all pine tissues but are not always present in quantities that make extraction economically worthwhile. Resins are obtained by tapping the trunk or by destructive distillation of the wood; trees from warmer regions generally yield more. Turpentine makes up an average of 20% of the oleo-resin and is separated by distillation, with uses as a solvent for waxes, in varnish-making, and medicinally. Rosin, the residue after turpentine removal, is used by violinists and in sealing wax and varnish. Pitch from the resin is used for waterproofing and as a wood preservative. The wood is light and soft, and is used for fuel and mining timber.

Pinus aristata, the Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine or Colorado bristlecone pine is a long-lived species of bristlecone pine tree native to the United States. It is found in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and northern New Mexico, with an isolated population in the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. It is found at very high altitudes, from 2,100 to 4,000 meters (6,900 to 13,100 ft) in cold, dry subalpine climate conditions, often at the tree line, although it also forms extensive closed-canopy stands at somewhat lower elevations.

Production

It is slow growing. It lives for a long time. Trees can live for 5000 years.

Notes

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

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