Limber Pine

Common Name

Limber Pine

Latin Name

Pinus flexilis

Family

Pinaceae

Sunset zones / USDA zones

A1-A3, 1-11, 14-21 / 4-7

Type / Form

Tree / Large

Native Habitat

Dry slopes of mountains of California. from 5,000 to 8,000 feet

Soil

Dry to moist, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam, limestone, low to some organic content, well drained

Water

Once to twice per month depending on soil in hot weather

Exposure

Full sun

Height X Width

To 30 feet X 20 feet

Protective Mechanism

None

Leaves

Evergreen needles, 2 1/2 to 4 inches long, fascicles of 5, dark green and rigid with lengthwise rows of stomatal bloom. Remain on tree for 5 to 6 years.

Flowers

Monoecious; male cones are small and reddish; female cones are bright reddish-purple. Moderate sized woody cone (3 to 6 inches long) with a short stalk. Imbricate scales are thick, blunt, slightly reflexed, and unarmed. Cones turn from green to brown as they ripen and scales open to release their seeds (unlike whitebark pine). Seeds are large and usually wingless.

Bark / Roots

Initially thin, smooth and gray-white; later it darkens to brown or black with deep fissures and square plates. Stout but very flexible (can be tied into knots), silvery-white to gray, droop with age, but tips often turn up.

Maintenance

Low

Propagation

IIt is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored seed. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for their first winter or two. Plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions the better they will grow. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm. We actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance. Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away.

Pests and diseases

White pine blister rust, susceptible to numerous other fungal diseases. It can be heavily infected or killed by limber pine dwarf-mistletoe (Arceuthobium cyanocarpum), and is susceptible to infestation by mountain pine beetles, cone beetles, coneworms, and budworms

Landscpe uses

Erosion control, low maintenance, background

Garden Suitability

Thornless, Songbird, Fragrant, Mountain, Ethnobotanical

Ornamental Value

Long dark blue/green needles

Nature Value

Nuts eaten by squirrels, birds, bears

Native American Uses

Nuts eaten raw or baked, used in basketry

Links

Video